Toy Story 3 and Ultimate Toy Box 3-movie collection coming to Blu-ray

Still catching up on news announcements, here’s a look at all the great new Toy Story Blu-ray stuff coming out in November – a couple of different versions of Toy Story 3 and the full 3-movie, 10-disc Toy Box Collection.

Toy Story 3 comes in a standard 2-disc Blu-ray edition as well as a 4-disc Combo Pack that comes with a DVD and a Digital Copy. The Toy Box Collection (MSRP $100.00) simply contains the 3 Combo Pack versions of all 3 films. No extra content there, so no real reason for fans who’ve already got the first two films on Blu to re-purchase.

TOY STORY 3
(November 2, 2010 – MSRP $39.99, Combo Pack $45.99)
Video: 1.85:1 1080p
Audio: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio

Special Features: Day & Night: The innovative and entertaining short from the imagination of Pixar artist and director Teddy Newton. Making of Day & Night: The story behind the unique 2D/3D blended short (BD-exclusive) Cine-Explore: commentary by director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson (BD-exclusive) Beyond the Toybox: an alternative commentary track featuring leads from story, tech, art and animation – commentary by story supervisor Jason Katz, supervising technical director Guido Quaroni, production designer Bob Pauley and supervising animators Bobby Podesta and Michael Venturini (BD-exclusive) Beginnings: Setting a Story in Motion – Screenwriter Michael Arndt analyzes successful opening scenes from Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles (BD-exclusive) Bonnie’s Playtime: A Story Roundtable: A roundtable discussion with Director Lee Unkrich and the story artists who brought the “Bonnie’s Playtime” scene to life (BD-exclusive) Roundin’ Up a Western Opening: The development of the movie’s exciting opening scene (BD-exclusive) Life of a Shot: Toy Story 3 artists and technicians describe their contributions to a few of the shots in the film’s “Western Opening.” (BD-exclusive) Goodbye Andy: an exploration of character design, acting and animation in the scene “Andy’s Goodbye.” (BD-exclusive) Accidental Toymakers: by creating the Toy Story characters, the Pixar filmmakers found themselves in the unlikely role of toy designers. Meet the toy company that took a chance on manufacturing the now iconic toys and learn of their incredible success that began with a modest number of Woody and Buzz Lightyear toys 15 years ago. (BD-exclusive) Toys!: A closer look at all of Toy Story 3's beloved toys from updating the classic characters to the creation of the Sunnyside Daycare and Bonnie’s Room toys. Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs – The Science of Adventure: Produced in conjunction with NASA, this hybrid animation documentary of Buzz’s visit to the International Space Station focuses on research in zero gravity and Buzz’s triumphant return to Earth. Paths to Pixar – Editorial: Pixar editors, past and future share anecdotes about their careers. The Gang’s All Here: A touching look at the returning voice talent for Toy Story 3 and an introduction to the voices of the new characters. A Toy’s Eye View – Creating a Whole New Land: A sneak peek at the new Toy Story-themed playland at Hong Kong Disneyland. Studio Stories – A series of amusing animated anecdotes about life at Pixar. “Where’s Gordon?” – An animator finds a hidden room at Pixar. “Cereal Bar” – The majestic and expansive Pixar cereal bar is explored. “Clean Start” – The Toy Story 3 animators shave their heads to mark the start of the film.Toy Story Trivia Dash – This game challenges you to sprint to the finish with Woody, Buzz, Jessie and Rex as you quickly answer questions about all three Toy Story movies (BD-exclusive)

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World (Masters of Cinema) (Shijie) (Blu-ray Review)

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Masters of Cinema / Shijie
Eureka Entertainment | 2004 | 134 min | Not rated | Aug 30, 2010  (2004)

Drama

"The World" is a theme park on the outskirts of Beijing, sixteen kilometers from the Chinese capital, designed around scaled representations of the world's famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or the Leaning Tower of Pisa.The site is seen here not from the visitors' point of view but through the eyes of a few of its staff, lonely people, communicating poorly, a bit disillusioned with life, glittering for the tourists but dull and restricted as far as they are concerned. We meet, among others, pretty young dancer Tao and Taisheng, a security guard who is fond of her but not of personal commitment...

For more details about The World on Blu-ray, see The World Blu-ray Review

Starring: Zhao Tao, Taisheng Chen, Jue Jing, Zhong-wei Jiang, Yi-qun Wang
Director: Zhang Ke Jia

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, September 26, 2010

Nominated for Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Jia Zhangke's "The World" (2004) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include a lengthy introduction to the film by critic and filmmaker Tony Rayns; making of documentary; and interview with director Jia Zhangke. The disc also arrives with a 40-page illustrated booklet containing essays by Tony Rayns, director Jia Zhangke, and critic Craig Keller. In Mandarin and Russian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The World

The main characters in Jia Zhangke's The World are men and women from small provincial towns in China who have relocated to Beijing after the market-oriented reforms from the late 90s. They spend most of their time in the city's large World Park, which boasts an impressive collection of global landmarks. As they quietly observe how Beijing is slowly transforming into a modern metropolis with giant skyscrapers and super-fast highways, these men and women begin to realize how isolated they are from the rest of world. It is a strange feeling ?Beijing has opened to the world, and the world has opened to Beijing, but the people who live there are still kept prisoners by a cruel totalitarian regime.

Tao (Tao Zhao, Still Life), a beautiful dancer, is in love with Taisheng (Taisheng Chen, In Love We Trust), a security guard with connections to the local black marketers. They often spend time together but feel that there is something missing in their relationship - for Tao, it is the piece of paper that will make it official; for Taisheng, it is something else, but he does not yet know what.

Tao lives in a large dormitory, together with many of the World Park employees. All of them are young and beautiful women. Some have boyfriends, some don't. When they don't have to work, the women look at fashion magazines and discuss their latest purchases - typically, fake designer dresses and shoes. A few of them also go out with businessmen who pay handsomely for companionship.

Two Russian dancers arrive in the dormitory, and their passports are immediately taken away by their "manager". One of the dancers, Anna (Alla Chtcherbakova), befriends Tao. Even though the two do not speak the same language, Anna reveals to Tao that she is trying to save money to visit her sister who has immigrated to Ulan Bator. She even teaches Tao how to sing a popular Russian song. A few weeks later, Anna becomes a prostitute.

Taisheng is visited by two childhood friends from his hometown. The men have arrived in Beijing because they have been told that there is plenty of work. Both are construction workers with little experience. They are immediately hired, but one of them, "Little Sister", is fatally injured while working overtime. When he dies, his family arrives in Beijing and Taisheng sees that they are compensated properly by the company that employed their son.

Meanwhile, a beautiful fashion designer who runs her own sweatshop, Qun (Huang Yiqun), whom Taisheng has been secretly seeing, finally receives the visa she has been waiting for. Now she can reunite with her husband who has been living as an illegal immigrant in France for years. Before she leaves Beijing, Qun sends Taisheng a short message on his mobile to thank him for his friendship. Tao accidentally sees the message while she and Taisheng are celebrating the wedding of one of her co-workers.

There are a number of interesting similarities between director Zhangke's The World and Peter Brosens and Jessica Hope Woodworth's Khadak, a fascinating film about a young Mongolian nomad shepherd who becomes a shaman but is forced by the authorities to relocate to a mining town. In both films the main characters are disillusioned people who suddenly realize that they have become foreigners in their native states, both of which are transitioning from communism to?well, something else. Both films also look like documentaries but are not; in The World there are colorful animation inserts while in Khadak there are fascinating episodes with trippy hallucinations.

These two films suggest that progress isn't always beneficial. The World also makes a point that globalization is a sickness, destroying families, effectively enslaving entire generations of people. I won't argue whether or not their observations are justified. But I would say this - the people in them, as well as their dilemmas, are real.

Note: In 2004, The World was nominated for Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. A year later, the film won TFCA Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards.

 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jia Zhangke's The World arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.

The following note appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"This Blu-ray has been mastered at 24fps. For this reason, any modern "motion smoothing" technology ("PureMotion" / "MotionFlow" etc.) should be switched OFF so the film can be viewed at 24fps)."

Filmed with Sony HDW-F900 camera, in 25fps, The World has a pure, rich look - clarity is excellent and colors vivid. During the daylight footage, fine object detail is excellent. The nighttime footage, however, is often poorly lit (intentionally), and some scenes tend to look a bit too dark. Still, when blown through a digital projector The World looks notably tight and crisp. I also did not detect any transfer-specific anomalies to report in this review. Indeed, this is a solid presentation of a truly outstanding film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with portions of Russian). For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The music is of utmost importance in The World. It may seem like it is pushed back a bit, but it actually sets the mood for the different stories in it - the nostalgia, melancholy and joy felt throughout the film are very effectively enhanced by Giong Lim's lush ambient soundtrack.

The Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track has a decent dynamic amplitude. It won't test the muscles of your audio system, but it will certainly enhance your viewing experience in a positive way. Lastly, the dialog is clean, crisp, stable, and very easy to follow. The English translation is also very good.

 

Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in 1080p. Therefore, they are perfectly playable on North American PS3s and SAs.

Tony Rayns on The World - a long and very informative introduction to the film. Mr. Rayns also discusses Jia Zhangke's career as a filmmaker. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

Made in China - a 2004 making of documentary, a co-production with the CBA (Audiovisual Center in Brussels), the Cinema & Audiovisual Center of the French Community in Belgium, and the support of The Walloons TV Distributors. This is a fascinating documentary in which director Zhangke discusses the political climate in China, censorship, his past, etc. In Mandarin, with optional English subtitles. (69 min, 1080p).

The World According to Jia Zhangke - in this interview, director Zhangke recalls his childhood years, the films that influenced him the most while growing up, film censorship in China, etc. In Mandarin, with optional English subtitles. (25 min, 1080p).

Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet containing Tony Rayns' essay "Today, Bejing..."; director Zhangke's essay "The Age of Amateur Cinema Will Return"; and Craig Keller's essay "Hello AuthentiCITY".

 

Thought-provoking and visually stunning, Jia Zhangke's The World is a fantastic addition to the Masters of Cinema Series. In fact, I would argue that it is one of the very best contemporary films to be released on Blu-ray in 2010. As expected, the film has also received top-notch treatment. Bravo Eureka Entertainment! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

No related news posts for The World Blu-ray yet.

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Modern Family: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray Review)

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20th Century Fox | 2009 | 513 min | Not rated | Sep 21, 2010

Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (less)
Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese (less)
Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)



Reviewed by Casey Broadwater, September 28, 2010

For a barometer of America's cultural climate, look no further than the network TV sitcom, which, for decades, has served as a telltale indicator of the country's attitudes on family life, relationships, accepted morality, and social norms. Leave it to Beaver was like an advertisement for quaint 1950s domesticity. By the late 1960s, The Brady Bunch tackled the then-novel concept of the blended family. In the '70s, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H, and All in the Family?along with its many spin-offs?addressed social issues and rapidly changing values. The Cosby Show gave us a positive example of an African-American family in the 1980s, while Roseanne, Married with Children, and The Simpsons plumbed the darkly comic depths of dysfunction. Seinfeld and Friends showed the lovelorn, sex-obsessed lives of singles at the end of the 20th century, and at the beginning of the millennium, the nation's collective self-awareness was reflected in Arrested Development and The Office. But what of the newborn 2010s? A prime contender for America's next looking glass is Modern Family, a half-hour comedy that shows the country for what it is?complicated, diverse, but still, in many ways, surprisingly traditional.

Shooting your kid with a pellet gun...better or worse than spanking?

The changes to our conception of what a family can and should be have always been evolutionary?rather than revolutionary?and these permutations provide the basis for Modern Family's topical comedy. The show follows three families?actually, one large extended family? who each challenge the "nuclear" norm in one way or another. The Dunphys seem the most traditional?they're white, suburban, upper-middle- class, one mom, one dad, three kids?but parenting in the 21st century, even for a typical family unit, is no easy feat. In the first episode, stay-at- home mom Claire (Julie Bowen) scrambles to find time on the crammed family calendar for her husband Phil (Ty Burrell) to shoot their young son Luke with a BB gun. Why? Because Phil made a deal with Luke?he'd buy him the gun, but if Luke shot one of his sisters, he'd get shot in return. Phil can't go through with it, but he ends up shooting just about everyone, accidentally, including himself. He's one of the show's best characters, a father who tries desperately to seem "with it," but who only succeeds in embarrassing his wife and kids. "I'm a cool dad. That's my thang," he says in one of the show's characteristic to-the-camera confessionals. (Like The Office, Modern Family is a mockumentary.) "I'm hip. I surf the web. I text. LOL: laugh out loud. OMG: oh my god. WTF: why the face." Later, he expresses his fatherly philosophy: "Act like a parent, talk like a peer. I call it peerenting." In other words, he's a total dork. Most of the real parenting falls to Claire, who loves Phil but basically has to treat him like one of her children.

From here, the show's web of relationships gets more complicated. Claire's father Jay Pritchett, played by TV veteran Ed O'Neill, has taken a new wife nearly half his age, a sultry Columbian beauty named Gloria (Sofia Vergara), who has a chubby pre-teen son from her previous marriage to a wild Latin lover. The kid, Manny, is a tender old soul who's completely out of touch with how most kids his age act. He's a hopeless, hapless romantic who writes love poems for older girls, drinks coffee, takes up fencing?his father, according to Gloria, was good at "thrusting"?and wears a poncho on the first day of school to honor his Columbian heritage.

Jay tries to be an active parent to Manny, mostly to make up for his lack of a relationship with his gay, mildly neurotic son Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson)?Claire's brother?who has just adopted a Vietnamese baby with Cam (Eric Stonestreet), his boisterous partner of five years. I can remember the public outrage from conservatives when Murphy Brown had a child "out of wedlock" in the early 1990s, so it really says something about our cultural state that Mitchell and Cam's atypical family has yet to be decried en masse by opponents of gay rights. If anything, the opposite has happened. People have complained that Modern Family is too modest in its portrayal of Mitchell and Cam's homosexuality? the pair never once share a kiss, or even anything more than a friendly hug, in the entirety of season one. Still, Ferguson and Stonestreet play hilariously off of one another, almost like a latter day?and thoroughly flamboyant?Laurel and Hardy. Their "gayness" doesn't necessarily define their characters, but just as the show plays up the dorky dad stereotype with Phil, or Gloria's fiery Latin passion, Modern Family has a lot of fun exploring the occasional awkwardness of gay parenthood, like when their daughter Lily says her first word?"Mama." ("Every gay father's worst nightmare.")

Screen time is split almost equally between the three familial units, and the show often cleverly subverts certain sitcom staples?like the obligatory Christmas and Valentine's Day episodes?to show how each family responds differently to tradition and expectations. (Look out for Edward Norton in a guest star role during the V-Day episode!) The writing occasionally veers into edgy, politically incorrect territory, but Modern Family is much more mainstream than the far-funnier Arrested Development, which proved too out-there for network TV audiences. That's not to say the show isn't funny?it most certainly is?but it tries to be touching and comedic in equal measures, which sometimes dulls the laughs. Nearly every episode ends on a tender moment?frequently accompanied by a here's how we learned our lesson-style voiceover?and this can get a bit predictable as the season goes on. Nevertheless, I can see Modern Family having a long run on ABC. The characters are well rounded, the casting is perfect, and the writing is sharp and insightful, drawing on sticky family situations that'll be instantly familiar for the show's intended audience?modern families.

 

Shot natively on high definition video, Modern Family makes the transition to Blu-ray easily, with 1080p/AVC-encoded transfers that look sharper, cleaner, and less prone to the banding/macroblocking compression quibbles you get with broadcast TV. Color is realistic and vibrant, with consistently balanced skin tones and rich primaries?see Fizbo the Clown's multi-hued outfit, Cam's flamboyant paisley shirts, or the lush tones of the Hawaii episode. Black levels are deep and defining, and contrast is right on the mark, giving the picture a strong sense of presence. Clarity is no slouch either; the handheld camerawork means there are occasional soft shots, but most of the time the image is crisp and resolved, letting us make out fine facial features and wardrobe details. You'd really have to nitpick to find complaints about the show's presentation?highlights are occasionally overblown, especially on brightly colored objects, and there are a few instances of mild banding. Like I said, though, mere nitpicks. Overall, the show looks fantastic.  

You should know by now exactly what you're getting, audio-wise, with a family sitcom?a dialogue-driven, front-heavy experience that only occasionally calls on the rear speakers for ambience and cross-channel effects. That's exactly what we get with the show's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround presentation. With expectations tempered accordingly, there's no reason at all to be disappointed here. The dialogue is unfailingly clear and balanced throughout the season, from hushed whispers to frantic yelling. The surround speakers don't get much play beyond extremely quiet environmental effects and the rare pan?like Jay's model airplane puttering through the space behind our heads?but this is no big deal. Modern Family isn't Iron Man 2. The incidental music sounds decent?full and vibrant?but I'll warn you, the track that plays over the menu on each disc gets old really fast.  

Deleted, Extended & Alternate Scenes (1080p, 14:54, 20:45, and 9:24)
Each disc contains several scenes that were trimmed for time but are no less funny that what made it on air.

Deleted Family Interviews (1080p, 8:51 and 1:36)
Likewise, here we get more family confessionals.

Gag Reel (1080p, 5:41)
You know the drill?flubbed lines and crack ups.

Real Modern Family Moments (1080p, 10:25)
The show's creators/writers talk about the real-life incidents that inspired many of the moments on the show.

Before Modern Family (1080p, 12:53)
Each cast member gets a chance to explain what he/she was up to before being cast on Modern Family.

Fizbo the Clown (1080p, 4:13)
Eric Stonestreet tells us how the Fizbo character he created as a child got incorporated into an episode of the show.

The Making of Modern Family: Family Portrait (1080p, 9:15)
A quick production documentary of the season finale.

Modern Family: Hawaii (1080p, 5:19)
A profile of the special vacation episode that was shot on location in Hawaii.

 

Will Modern Family eventually become the sitcom that defines the 2010s? Only time will tell, of course, but the show is definitely off to a great start?it's funny, relevant, smartly written, and perfectly cast. There's also a lot to love about this Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox, which features a strong audio/video presentation and a good selection of bonus features. Modern Family earns my Ty Burrell-as-Tom Selleck thumbs up!

• Modern Family Season 1 Blu-ray Announced - July 9, 2010

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has officially announced Modern Family: The Complete First Season for release on Blu-ray on September 21. This sitcom/mockumentary view of today's non-traditional households was one of the highest rated new television shows ...

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Frozen (Blu-ray Review)

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Starz / Anchor Bay | 2010 | 93 min | Rated R | Sep 28, 2010 Video
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Audio
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (less)
Subtitles

Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Price
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Third party: $9.98 (Save 71%)
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Playback
Region A (B, C untested)

 (2010)

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Three snowboarders they get stranded on a ski chairlift taking them to the last run of the day. When the ski patrol switches off the night lights, the threesome realize with growing panic and dread that they?ve been left behind, dangling high off the ground with no way down. With the resort closed until the following weekend, and frostbite and hypothermia already setting in, the trio is forced to take desperate measures to escape off the mountain before they freeze to death.

For more details about Frozen on Blu-ray, see the Frozen Blu-ray Review

Starring: Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers, Ed Ackerman, Rileah Vanderbilt
Director: Adam Green

Reviewed by Martin Liebman, September 24, 2010

What do you think the worst way to die would be?

With Frozen, Writer/Director Adam Green (Hatchet) proves he's not a one-hit wonder or simply a master of the slice-'em-up Slasher picture in the 1980s style of Horror filmmaking. Frozen is another beast entirely, a psychologically depressing, emotionally draining, physically fatiguing, and visibly terrifying experience that should be remembered as one of the genre's all-time great pictures. It sacrifices the excessive gore and underlying humor of Hatchet in favor of what is nothing less than a paralyzing experience of sight, sound, and feeling, a movie so powerful in its ability to frighten and haunt its audience that it's likely to never completely vanish from the mind and is destined to linger in the subconscious for the rest of every viewer's life. Frozen is a movie where the typical descriptive clich?s -- including whichever may be found in this review -- simply don't do the film justice; take anything written and amplify it at least several times over to get an idea of just how gut-wrenching, terrifying, and unforgettable a picture Frozen truly is. It's all achieved by assaulting not the visual and aural senses but by commanding a level of deep, unrelenting, and practically paralyzing emotional fear that almost manifests itself as some kind of physically painful reality for those who dare watch. Frozen is completely gripping and wholly absorbing, the kind of picture where every single fiber of one's being begs to be freed of the agony of watching the movie, but Adam Green's film is too captivating to ignore. Viewers need watch at their own risk. It's that terrifying.

Terrified.

Three college students -- Dan (Kevin Zegers), his girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell), and his lifelong best friend Joe (Shawn Ashmore) -- finagle their way onto a ski lift without paying full price. They hit the rookie-level slopes for Parker's sake, but when Dan and Joe want to take one last run down a more challenging course before the slopes close for the night, they hitch a last-call ride up the mountain both against the attendant's better judgement and in the face of an incoming winter front. Unfortunately, a mix-up in personel at the lift's controls results in the equipment being turned off and the trio of skiers left stranded halfway up the mountain with no way to get down, no way to call for help, no extra clothing, and no chance of survival in the face of frigid temperatures and no food or drink to sustain them. They quickly realize that the lift hasn't been temproarily suspended but instead closed for the week when the lights power off and the minutes turn into hours. With a feeling of helplessness taking control as thoughts of slowly dying high atop a mountain turn into grim realities of a pending fate, the three brace themselves to endure an end that's to be as painful, agonizing, and frightening as anything anyone has ever faced.

Ignore the trailer until the movie's over. It's very good, but it gives away too much. Frozen is best experienced with as little preparation for what's to come as possible. Aside form the premise of three skiers stranded on a lift in freezing temperatures, audiences will be best served by allowing the movie to play out with as little foreknowledge and preparation for what fate has in store for the characters as possible. With that in mind, it's difficult to discuss Frozen without giving away many of its elements that are both structurally relevant to how the story plays out and that engender the kind of spine-tingling, nauseating, intensely frightening, and altogether uncomfortable psychological terrors that await a first viewing. Suffice it to say, the picture is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece because it so effectively engages its audience by placing its characters, and by extension the viewers themselves, into a deadly and believable scenario rather than one that's of a more typically detached and phony Horror veneer that sees some larger-than-life killer plowing his way through a bunch of underdeveloped characters in an obviously fictitious setting. Frozen gets to the very essence of fear by working through a premise that's about as plausible as they come. It's that underlying realism, attention to detail, wonderful character development, and of course all of the technical know-how behind the camera that all come together to craft one of Horror's most relentlessly disturbing, highly original, and all-too-real experiences.

What's even better is that Frozen doesn't wait for the characters to become stuck on the lift for the tension to mount. Adam Green manages to create an unsettling atmosphere through merely the mechanized sight and sound of the lift, the director painting it as a deadly contraption waiting to strand its victims high above the mountainside and with nowhere to go and nothing to cling to a metal bench and fading hopes. It's not even the foreknowledge that the trio is to become stuck that allows the aura of fear and tension to hang over the picture even before it's primary plot is set in motion. Green's direction is simply that strong and that unforgiving, and from his first frames forward he creates a chillingly realistic and almost unbearably intense feeling of pending fear. As the picture moves along, Green manages to keep it feeling fresh and fast-paced even though it's built around little more than dialogue and a single setting. Few movies can prove this engrossing with as minimal a setting, as few a characters, and as little a movement as what's on display here; it's a testament to Green's impeccable direction and faultless script that doesn't play its audience or its characters as fools. Just when it would seem that the characters in Frozen might not do the obvious, they do it. Their actions don't always work, but they follow what could very well be the logical steps to take as developments present themselves, which isn't often the case in the more generic of genre pictures. Frozen's story has been meticulously conceived and fleshed out considering how simple it really is at most every level. The characters, then, are very well-scripted and given dialogue that makes them both believable and sympathetic. The performances are a step above, too, with the actors falling seamlessly into their parts and playing every emotion and situation both before they become stranded and all the fear of what comes after with equal gusto and realism. Frozen wouldn't be quite as good without Emma Bell, Shawn Ashmore, and Kevin Zegers; they put the finishing touches on a picture that's destined to be remembered as one of Horror's most terrifyingly realistic pictures that will haunt its viewers forever.

 

Frozen's Blu-ray release goes straight to the summit with a wonderfully filmic 1080p transfer. The image retains a fairly heavy but nicely-realized layer of grain that gives it a slightly gritty texture, but not one that dominates the picture. It's supportive of very high detailing -- seen mostly in the texturing of woven caps, heavy winter jackets, and various cold-related injuries such as frostbite -- that's visible throughout, even in the picture's darker scenes. Colors are also strong; while the image is dominated by white snow and blue skies in its daytime scenes and a prevailing darkness where the image is lit by little more than moonlight during the frigid nights, it captures the various brightly-colored shades very well, particularly as seen in Parker's yellow ski goggles and pink jacket. Whites are steady with no evidence of excessive bloom, while blacks are mostly absorbing and honest without drowning out too much in the way of foreground detail or, on the other end of the spectrum, appearing far too bright or gray. The image isn't always razor-sharp, with several elements looking ever-so-slightly soft, but Anchor Bay's transfer seems to remain grounded in its director-envisioned intent, and there's no denying how strongly film-like this Blu-ray looks. Though a few halos are visible around objects offset against the sky, there are no major anomalies to report. Frozen looks fantastic from start to finish; it's easily one of Anchor Bay's best transfers to date. Watch it on as big a 1080p screen as possible.  

Frozen debuts on Blu-ray with a quality Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack that impresses from the picture's opening moments onward. Frozen begins with a nicely subtle but all-too foreboding chill that breezes about the listening area, the sound pierced by the hauntingly mechanized grind of the ski lift in operation that seems to engulf the entire soundstage. It's followed by a lighter-in-tone but no less powerful rock number that spills from the speakers with precision clarity, a solid low end, and guitar riffs that seem to power their way into the listening area. Outdoor ambience prior to the trio becoming stranded is defined by the whooshes of skiers as they maneuver about the listening area, supported by light on-location background music. Later, heavier winds, thunder, rustling tree limbs, falling hail, and all sorts of other maladies that impact the threesome's stay in the lift are superbly realized, each element faultlessly entering the soundstage and swirling all around to create a seamlessly terrifying environment. There's plenty more, but suffice it to say delving further into the specifics of the track might constitute plot spoilers; rest assured that every sonic element within Frozen's runtime is of an exceptionally high and realistic quality. Of all the track's elements, though, it's that superbly-realized and constant cold chill that's its greatest asset. Play the movie with a fan turned on or the air conditioner blasting; the room will feel much colder than it really is. With the lights down and the air cool and crisp is the only way to watch Frozen.  

Frozen thaws out several quality extras, including a pair of audio commentary tracks. The first features Writer/Director Adam Green alongside Actors Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers, and Emma Bell. The track focuses on the assemblage of the cast, shooting in chronological order, the casts' concerns with aspects of the picture, costumes, audience reactions to the film, the challenges of starring in the film, the rigors of the shoot, and much more. Track two is manned by Writer/Director Adam Green, Cinematographer Will Barratt, and Editor Ed Marx. This "technical" commentary focuses on the picture's achievements on a low budget, the history behind the project, the grind of the shoot, filming at night, creating some of the practical effects, the limitations of the picture's technical attributes due to filming in natural environments, the politics of small-budget filmmaking, and much more. Both tracks are of a high quality; fans are encouraged to give both a try.

Next is a series of four featurettes. Catching Frostbite: The Origins of 'Frozen' (1080p, 10:59) features Adam Green discussing what inspired him to write the script, followed by cast and crew discussing the basics of the story, the picture's scares, shooting in a real environment, and the process of translating Frozen from page to screen. Three Below Zero (1080p, 10:50) looks at the quality of the cast, the casting process, the real-life dynamics between the three actors that reflected their scripted parts, the subtleties of the performances, and various character traits. Shooting Through It (1080p, 11:17) looks at the work of Cinematographer Will Barratt and Production Designer Bryan McBrien, the challenges they faced, and the solutions they fashioned to make Frozen a more complete and realistic movie. Beating the Mountain: Surviving 'Frozen' (1080p, 52:55) is an all-encompassing feature that chronicles the rigors of the shoot. Needless to say, the making of Frozen wasn't an easy endeavor, and this exhaustive and fascinating piece takes viewers to the shooting locales for a brutally honest look at the challenges of bringing the movie to life. Also included are several deleted scenes with optional Adam Green commentary (480p, 6:27) and the Frozen theatrical trailer (1080p, 1:51). An Easter Egg for a brief piece called Chair 92 (1080p, 1:36), the story of a suicide that occurred near the place of the shoot, may be found by scrolling past the main selection of extras and clicking on the "paw" icon.

 

The only real question is how Frozen will hold up to repeat viewings; one might very well be enough, but for as strong as the picture is, it's one downfall may be a lack of replay value simply because of the foreknowledge of how things will play out. On the other hand, it's so positively gripping, absorbing, and well-made that it may hold its value as a gut-wrenching and morally, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and physically draining picture that might be worth re-visits every now and then. Either way, anyone who thinks they can handle the many challenges of watching Frozen needs to experience it at least once. Simply put, it's a picture that will never completely fade from the memory or the subconscience. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Frozen features a breathtakingly strong film-like texture, a good lossless soundtrack, and a quality assortment of extras. Frozen comes very highly recommended.

• Frozen Announced on Blu-ray - July 13, 2010

Anchor Bay Home Entertainment has announced Frozen for Blu-ray release on September 28. In this thriller movie, directed by Adam Green (Hatchet), a typical day on the slopes turns into an ice-cold nightmare as three snowboarders get stranded on a ski chairlift ...

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[VIDEO] New Sony Blu-ray Players and 3D Projector at Cedia 2010

It’s official – I’m now kind of, sort of interested in a 3D product. Sigh…The video above might not show a preview of the 3D effect from Sony‘s new VPL-VW90ES projector but just the notion that it can now successfully be displayed on my home theatre screen has got me jazzed. The $9999 price tag will keep me at arms length for the time being but if I ever end up investing in a 3D display of any sort, it will be a projector. Oh yeah, almost forgot – Sony shows off their new Blu-ray players in the video, too.

Sony weren’t the only ones to show new 3D capable projectors at Cedia: JVC introduced three models ranging in price from $5,000 to $12,000, Mitsubishi has their 3D DLP front projector called “Diamond 3D” (no price yet) and LG has their already-available THX-certified CF3D ($15,000) which uses passive glasses but requires the use of a special silver screen. There’s also the incredibly high-end Runco D-73d ($50,000) for those of you with lots of cash laying around and nothing to do with it.

Read more at CNET’s CRAVE blog: 3D projector specs compared: JVC vs. LG vs. Sony

Via: Sony Insider.com

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The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season (Blu-ray Review)

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Warner Bros. | 2009 | 529 min | Not rated | Sep 14, 2010

Video
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Audio
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0 (less)
Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese (less)
Discs
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
BD-Live
Price
List price: $54.97   Third party: $34.99 (Save 36%)
Listed on Amazon marketplace

Price
List price: $44.99   Best Buy: $44.99

Playback
Region free

 (TV) (2009)

Comedy

Worlds collide in Season 3! A love affair with Penny has opened a big, wide, wonderful world of romance for Leonard. But Sheldon likes the world just the way it was, thank you. All of which makes for a zany comic triangle with brainy, clueless Sheldon and practical, grounded Penny hilariously vying for the role of hypotenuse.

For more details about The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season on Blu-ray, see The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray Review

Starring: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, September 21, 2010

How can I possibly discuss with Stan Lee the scientific foundations for inter-stellar flight on a silver surfboard when part of my brain will be scanning his face for signs of contagious skin disease?

I should adore The Big Bang Theory. Scratch that. I should bleed, breathe and weep The Big Bang Theory. I should thank the oft-vindictive television gods on high for a comedy series that celebrates the comicbooks, TV shows and movies I hold dear. I should skip through everything else in my TiVo queue just to watch the latest episode of a sitcom specifically aimed at my narrow demographic. And yet, as each season comes and goes, I find myself falling farther and farther out of love with creator Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady's surprise CBS hit. I know comedy is a fickle mistress, and I know I'm probably in the minority here -- in just three short years, the series has nearly doubled its viewership, earned prime Thursday Night real estate and forged new ground with unabashed geeks and fanboys of all stripes -- but I rarely feel that surge of anticipation... that infectious flutter of excitement that comes as you sit down to watch a new episode of one of your favorite shows. Don't get me wrong, Big Bangers. I laugh. Oh, how I laugh. I nod. Oh, how I nod. Sometimes, just sometimes, I even clap at the obscure bravado of it all. But there's something inherently contrived about Sheldon and Leonard's misadventures in life and love; something that begins with the series' canned laugh track, seeps into its overtly sitcom-y subplots and illuminates the fact that, beneath all the clever comicbook shoutouts and unexpected subculture references, much of what happens in The Big Bang Theory is strangely familiar.

It might also interest you to know that Wil Wheaton currently ranks sixth on my all-time enemies list, right between director Joel Schumacher, who nearly destroyed the Batman movie franchise, and Billy Sparks, who lived down the street from me and put dog poop on the handles of my bicycle.

While story occasionally takes a backseat to whatever retro t-shirts, videogame memorabilia and '80s sci-fi classics claw their way out of nostalgia's primordial ooze, Theory's cast eagerly latches onto every light-up green lantern and Cylon-domed BSG... erm, toaster that enters the fray. Not that I mind. When the series focuses on the gang's mundane hijinks -- engaging in science lab rivalries, shooting the breeze over boxes of back issues, entering Magic-the-Gathering-esque tournaments, hunting for ordinary jobs, debating ownership of the One Ring, installing state-of-the-art home security systems, fantasizing about Katee Sackhoff or getting competitive at a comicbook signing -- the setups and payoffs are nothing short of inspired. A few jokes and gags fall flat, sure. That's the nature of any twenty-three episode beast. But Lorre and Prady's writers know their target audience and pander accordingly. It's when dating and romantic relationships take center stage that the series starts to flail.

Allegiance to male comrades before women who sell their bodies for money.

And therein lies the problem with Season Three. Experimental physicist Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Nebraskan girl-next-door Penny (Kaley Cuoco) become an item, newly disgraced theoretical physicist Sheldon (Jim Parsons) becomes jealous, Howard (Simon Helberg) begins seeing a microbiology undergrad named Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) continues his inexplicably successful conquest of the female of the species. The Big Bang Theory isn't Friends, nor should it be. Yet it wades into Ross-and-Rachel waters time and time again, sinking each time it tries to swim. Leonard and Sheldon are at their best struggling to find companionship, not when they actually find it. Strip away the comicbooks, Halo helmets, Wii-motes, vocabulary gymnastics, calculus equations and quirky insecurities. What remains is the same, tired ground sitcoms have been treading and retreading since Lucy and Ricky moved into their 68th Street brownstone.

I asked myself... what is the most mind-numbing, pedestrian job conceivable and three answers came to mind. A toll booth employee, an Apple Store Genius and what Penny does. Because I don't like to touch other peoples' coins and I refuse to contribute to the devaluation of the word "genius," here I am.

My relationship with The Big Bang Theory is easier to define: strictly casual. While I'm a sucker for reference-laced humor, television comedies like Arrested Development, Community, Malcolm in the Middle, Scrubs, 30 Rock, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation and The Office are more my speed. No obnoxious laugh tracks, smart single-camera coverage, and not a single pre-packaged, three-wall set in sight. I've made a number of notable exceptions over my thirty-odd years -- The Cosby Show, Seinfeld, Cheers, Friends and, most recently, How I Met Your Mother -- but a show has to bring something special... something refreshing to the sitcom table to make me sit up and take notice. And that something has to be more than pop culture references, regardless of how much each one might appeal to my particular breed of geek. (I'm genetically predisposed to Marvel Comics, '80s cartoons, NES classics, Batman and Green Lantern, and Battlestar Galactica, among other things.)

Okay, please don't take this the wrong way, but I'd rather swim butt-naked across the Ganges with a paper cut on my nipple and die a slow agonizing death from a viral infection than work with you.

So no, I'm not ready to commit to The Big Bang Theory. But a casual relationship can still be fun, right? Galecki and Parsons are pitch-perfect as their respective socially inept megaminds, Helberg and Nayyar keep each episode light and leveled, a steady stream of recurring characters and hey-isn't-that guest stars are deployed wisely, and only Cuoco is a drag. (She gives Penny her all, but the writers' go-to country-girl schtick grows old, and I didn't buy her season-long relationship with Leonard for a second.) Solid laughs abound -- situational and interpersonal -- and only a handful of one-liners, slapstick interludes and derivative scenarios spoil the momentum. If the showrunners jettisoned the laugh track and ventured out beyond the boys' apartments and local comicbook shop, the series would immediately elicit more enthusiasm from people like myself. But the Rules to Sitcom Happiness both Lorre and Prady penned for Two and a Half Men prevail here as well, and The Big Bang Theory writers seem more concerned with delivering a viable sitcom than in giving geeks round the world the brazen call-to-phasers they truly deserve. Too harsh? Perhaps, particularly since my series score is still relatively high. But Theory always seems to leave me a wee bit unfulfilled, and I'm beginning to despise it... even if just a little.

Roommates agree that Friday nights shall be reserved for watching Joss Whedon's brilliant new series, 'Firefly.' Might as well settle it now. It's going to be on for years.

 

While much of The Big Bang Theory's humble 1080p/VC-1 presentation is bound, for better or worse, to the series' source and production values, a few technical issues hold Warner's television transfer back from perfection. The third season's twenty-three episodes are spread across just two discs, and while each entry's short length and lack of lossless audio should alleviate any subsequent limitations, minor artifacting, banding and other digital anomalies pop up from time to time. It isn't a deal-breaker by any means, but it is unfortunate. Thankfully, other aspects of the presentation are more sound. Colors are bright and vivid, black levels are fairly well-resolved, skintones are nice and warm, contrast is earnest (albeit a tad inconsistent when the lights go down) and edge definition is, for the most part, sharp and satisfying. Fine detail and shadow delineation aren't always up to snuff, and softness and crush sometimes creep into starkly or dimly lit scenes, but in each case, the series' showrunners, not Warner's encode, appears to be to blame. All in all, The Big Bang Theory's Blu-ray debut isn't going to elicit any tears of joy or inspire any hyperbolic praise, but it will please the sitcom's fanbase.  

I can't think of a word that better describes Warner's 640bps Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track than "passable." Dialogue is healthy, intelligible and neatly centered, lines are never lost in the mix, and sound effects remain crisp, clear and smartly prioritized throughout. However, little else impresses. LFE output is dull and diluted, the rear speakers are limited to supporting the series' hollow laugh track and delivering its already negligible ambience, dynamics are weak and rather thin, directionality is a joke, pans are merely adequate, and the whole of the experience is as front-heavy as they come. Temper any rage you might feel though. The Big Bang Theory couldn't offer much more, even if it arrived with a lossless audio mix in tow. As is the case with many multiple-camera sitcoms, the series' sound design is flat, two-dimensional and rather uninvolving. Hardly the stuff of high definition legend. Will fans mind? Not really. Comedy is king here, and Warner doesn't make any technical missteps. But does it sound any better than its DVD counterpart? I don't have a standard definition copy on hand, but I can't imagine the two are very different. Consider yourself warned and duly informed.  

The Blu-ray edition of The Complete Third Season doesn't offer much in the way of special features. Two quickie EPKs -- "Takeout with the Cast" (HD, 10 minutes) and a "Set Tour with Simon and Kunal" (HD, 8 minutes) -- prove to be little more than amusing diversions, a rapidfire "Gag Reel" (SD, 8 minutes) is funny enough to warrant a mention, and a BD-Live Portal houses the usual assortment of Warner trailers. Nothing more, nothing less.  

To those who thoroughly adore The Big Bang Theory: I'm thrilled you aren't distracted by its sitcom-iness. I really am. I would love nothing more than to sit down, take in an episode of a comedy designed to appeal to my personal geek sensibilities, and walk away grinning. But try as I might, I just can't shed my hangups, and my enjoyment suffers as a result. Unfortunately, the series' first Blu-ray release will disappoint diehards and casual fans alike. Its noteworthy video transfer is hobbled a bit by a few glaring issues, its Dolby Digital audio track is passable at best and its supplemental package consists of a whopping twenty-six minutes of material. Proceed with caution.

• This Week on Blu-ray - September 14-20 - September 14, 2010

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been a huge success for Disney, though its commercial appeal was almost universally questions prior to the first film's release. In hindsight, this may have been a contributing factor to the film's grand success ? no one ...
• Big Bang Theory Season 3 Blu-ray Announced - June 23, 2010 For the first time, Warner Home Video is giving a Blu-ray release to a half-hour sitcom, with the announcement of The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season, with a street date of September 14. This two-disc set will include the 23 episodes of season 3 of this ...

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