Blu Monday
Blu Monday: Apocalyptic Vampires, Gunslingers, a Barbarian, and a Talking Hamburger
Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011
BETTER OFF DEAD (1985)
Synopsis: Lane Meyer is a depressed teen who loses his girlfriend Beth. Her given reason for breaking up is: “Lane, I think it’d be in my best interest if I dated somebody more popular. Better looking. Drives a nicer car.” Anyway, poor Lane is left alone and thinks up treacherous ways of killing himself. He finally meets a French beauty called Monique and falls for her. Simultaneously, he must endure his mother’s terrible cooking which literally slides off the table and his disgusting next door neighbour Ricky (and his mum) while he prepares for the skiing race of his life – to get his old girlfriend back! (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Theatrical trailer.
Double Feature: BLACK SHEEP/TOMMY BOY (1996/1995)
Synopsis: Black Sheep – A gubernatorial candidate hires a wormy special assistant whose only job is to make sure the candidate’s well-meaning but incompetent brother doesn’t ruin the election.
Tommy Boy – An incompetent, immature, and dimwitted heir to an auto parts factory must save the business to keep it out of the hands of his new, con-artist relatives and big business. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
Double Feature: BRAVEHEART/GLADIATOR (1995/2000)
Synopsis: Braveheart – Mel Gibson stars on both sides of the camera, playing the lead role plus directing and producing this brawling, richly-detailed saga of fierce combat, tender love and the will to risk all that’s precious for something more precious: freedom. In an emotionally charged performance, Gibson is William Wallace, a bold Scotsman who used the steel of his blade and the fire of his intellect to rally his countrymen to liberation. Filled with sword-clanging spectacle, Braveheart is a tumultuous tapestry of history come alive, “the most sumptuous and involving historical epic since Lawrence Of Arabia” (Rod Lurie, Los Angeles Magazine).
Gladiator – Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, Gladiator is a dazzling combination of vivid action and extraordinary storytelling. Discover the unparalleled power of Gladiator, masterfully directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner), and featuring a riveting performance from Russell Crowe, hailed by Newsweek as “a genuine larger-than-life hero!” (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
Double Feature: COMING TO AMERICA/TRADING PLACES (1988/1983)
Synopsis: Coming To America – Join Eddie Murphy (Norbit, Dreamgirls) on an unforgettable comic quest to the New World. As an African prince, it’s time for him to find a princess… and the mission leads him and his most loyal friend (Arsenio Hall) to Queens, New York. In disguise as an impoverished immigrant, the pampered prince relishes the chance to test his mettle in the urban wilderness. Keep an eye out for both Murphy and Hall in some unforgettable cameo roles!
Trading Places – What happens when you combine the comic genius of Eddie Murphy (Norbit, Dreamgirls) with Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters, Christmas With The Kranks) and director John Landis (Animal House, Coming To America)? You get a timeless comedy classic laced with sidesplitting, satiric humor. Murphy stars as a small time con artist who gets a chance to switch lives with Aykroyd’s big time stock market maven. But their reversal of fortunes is just a cruel joke perpetrated by two bored mega rich brothers (Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy) as part of an idle bet. And when the truth comes out… the consequences are sheer comedy gold! (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
Double Feature: DEFIANCE/ENEMY AT THE GATES (2008/2001)
Synopsis: Defiance – Daniel Craig (James Bond: The Quantum of Solace) stars as Tuvia Bielski, an ordinary citizen turned hero, in this action-packed epic of family, honor, vengeance and salvation. Defiance is a riveting adventure that showcases the extraordinary true story of the Bielski brothers, simple farmers – outnumbered and outgunned – who turned a group of war refugees into powerful freedom fighters. Tuvia, along with his unyielding brother, Zus (Liev Schreiber, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), motivate hundreds of civilians to join their ranks against the Nazi regime. Their “Inspirational story” (David Densby, The New Yorker) is a true testament to the human spirit.
Enemy at the Gates – An all-star cast lights up the screen in this riveting epic hailed as “a vivid dramatization of one of history’s titanic turning points.” (Gene Shalit, Today) The year is 1942 and the Nazis are cutting a deadly swath through Russia. Under the leadership of Khrushchev (Bob Hoskins), the citizens of Stalingrad are mounting a brave resistance, spurred by the exploits of their local hero, Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law). An expert sniper, Vassili’s deeds have become legendary – thanks to propaganda produced by Vassili’s best friend, a political officer named Danilov (Joseph Fiennes). To stop Vassili, the Germans dispatch their best sniper, Major Konig (Ed Harris), to Stalingrad. When Vassili and Danilov both fall in love with a beautiful soldier (Rachel Weisz), Danilov deserts his friend, leaving Vassili to face his German counterpart alone. As the city burns, Vassili and Konig begin a cunning game of cat and mouse, waging a private war for courage, honor and country. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN: International Cut (1982)
Synopsis: Epic tale of child sold into slavery who grows into a man who seeks revenge against the warlord who massacred his tribe. Through the history of mankind, the times that are most recorded in mythology are those of great deeds and fantastic adventures. Such a time was the Hyborean Age and the story of Conan the Barbarian. Cimmerian Conan is captured after his parents’ savage murder by raiding Vanir led by Thulsa Doom, head of the malignant snake-cult of Set. Fifteen years’ agony, first chained to the Wheel of Pain grinding grain and then enslaved as a Pit Fighter, forge a magnificent body and indomitable spirit. Freed one day by his owner, Conan, with his companions Subotai the Mongol and Valeria, Queen of Thieves, sets forth upon his quest to learn “the riddle of steel” which his father prophesied would confer ultimate power, and to kill his enemy Thulsa Doom. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Audio commentary with director John Milius and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger; Conan Unchained – The Making of Conan, behind-the-scenes; Art of Steel – Sword Makers and Masters; Conan – From the Vault, interviews; Special effects scene comparisons; The Conan Archives – drawings, paintings, concept art and photos; Deleted Scenes; Theatrical Trailers.
CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984)
Synopsis: Arnold Schwarzenegger returns with a vengeance in the sword and sorcery adventure Conan the Destroyer. The powerful hero Conan (Schwarzenegger) has been commissioned by evil Queen Taramis (Sarah Douglas) to safely escort a teen princess (Olivia D’Abo) and her bodyguard (Wilt Chamberlain) to the magic Horn of Dagon. Conan soon discovers, however, that the queen plans to sacrifice the princess when she returns and inherit her kingdom. Now he and an unusual group of allies—including the eccentric wizard Akiro (Mako) and the wild woman Zula (Grace Jones)—must defeat both mortal and supernatural foes in an epic, sword-wielding battle with the fate of the entire world at stake. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Theatrical trailer.
COPYCAT (1995)
Synopsis: Helen Hudson is a brilliant forensic psychologist who specializes in the study of serial killers. After one of her subjects attempts to kill her, Hudson suffers a nervous breakdown and becomes agoraphobic. However, when a series of ritualized murders baffle the San Francisco Police Department, M.J. Monahan, a feisty, intelligent detective, turns to the unwilling Hudson for help in finding the killer. The team of doctor and detective becomes a target when their quarry learns who is on his trail. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Audio commentary with director Jon Amiel; Trailer.
EXPORTING RAYMOND (2010)
Synopsis: Follow Phil Rosenthal, creator of the hit TV series ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ in this incredibly funny true story of the attempt to translate ‘Raymond’ into a Russian sitcom. A hilarious, warm and intimate journey of one man, considered an expert in his country, who travels to a distant land to help people that don’t seem to want his help. Lost in Moscow, lost in his mission, lost in translation, Phil tries to connect to his Russian colleagues but runs into unique characters and situations that conspire to drive him insane. The movie is a true international adventure, a genuine ‘fish out of water’ comedy that could only exist in real life. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Audio commentary with writer/director Philip Rosenthal; Deleted Scenes; Everybody Loves Kostya episodes; Everybody Loves Raymond episodes; Old Jews Telling Jokes – Restaurant, a short film by Max Rosenthal; Trailer.
THE FINAL DESTINATION 3D (2009)
Synopsis: On what should have been a fun-filled day at the races, Nick O’Bannon has a horrific premonition in which a bizarre sequence of events causes multiple race cars to crash, sending flaming debris into the stands, brutally killing his friends and causing the upper deck of the stands to collapse on him. When he comes out of this grisly nightmare Nick panics, persuading his girlfriend, Lori, and their friends, Janet and Hunt, to leave… escaping seconds before Nick’s frightening vision becomes a terrible reality. Thinking they’ve cheated death, the group has a new lease on life, but unfortunately for Nick and Lori, it is only the beginning. As his premonitions continue and the crash survivors begin to die one-by-one–in increasingly gruesome ways–Nick must figure out how to cheat death once and for all before he, too, reaches his final destination. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Deleted Scenes; 2 Alternate Endings; Body Count: The Deaths of The Final Destination – Deconstructing Key Death Scenes; The Final Destination – Pre-visualization and Storyboards.
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (1964)
Synopsis: A mysterious gunman has just arrived in San Miguel, a grim, dusty border town where two rival bands of smugglers are terrorizing the impoverished citizens. A master of the “quick-draw,” the stranger soon receives offers of employment from each gang. But his loyalty cannot be bought; he accepts both jobs…and sets in motion a plan to destroy both jobs…and sets in motion a plan to destroy both groups of criminals, pitting one against the other in a series of brilliantly orchestrated set-ups, showdowns and deadly confrontations. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Audio commentary; Featurettes; Interviews.
FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (1965)
Synopsis: Eastwood is a keen-eyed, quick-witted bounty hunter on the bloody trail of Indio, the territory’s most treacherous bandit. But his ruthless rival, Colonel Mortimer, is determined to bring Indio in first…dead or alive! Failing to capture their prey—or eliminate each other—the two are left with only one option: team up, or face certain death at the hands of Indio and his band of murderous outlaws. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Audio commentary; Featurettes; Interviews.
Double Feature: THE GODFATHER/THE GODFATHER Part II (1972/1974)
Synopsis: Regarded as one of the best American films ever, by the American Film Institute, Francis Ford Coppola’s epic masterpiece features Marlon Brando in his Oscar-winning role as the patriarch of the Corleone family. The Godfather is a violent and chilling portrait of the Sicilian family’s struggle to stay in power in a post-war America of corruption, deceit and betrayal. Coppola begins his legendary trilogy, masterfully balancing the story of the Corleone’s family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Based on Mario Puzo’s best-selling novel and featuring career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall, this searing and brilliant film garnered ten Academy Award nominations, and won three including Best Picture of 1972.
In what is undeniably one of the best sequels ever made, Francis Ford Coppola continues his epic Godfather trilogy with this saga of two generations of power within the Corleone family. Coppola, working once again with the author Mario Puzo, crafts two interwoven stories that work as both prequel and sequel to the original. One shows the humble Sicilian beginnings and New York rise of a young Don Vito, not played in an Oscar-winning performance for Best Supporting Actor by Robert De Niro. The other shows the ascent of Michael (Al Pacino) as the new Don. Reassembling many of the cast member who help make The Godfather, Coppola has produced a movie of staggering magnitude and vision, the film received eleven Academy Awards nominations, winning six including Best Picture of 1974. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
Double Feature: THE ITALIAN JOB/SHOOTER (2003/2007)
Synopsis: The Italian Job – The plan was flawless. The execution was perfect. Charlie Croker pulled off the crime of a lifetime. The one thing that he didn’t plan on was being double-crossed. Now he wants more than the job’s payoff…he wants payback. Mark Wahlberg is electrifying as Croker in this “fast and furious action-adventure.” Along with a drop-dead gorgeous safecracker (Charlize Theron), Croker and his team take off to re-steal the loot and end up in a pulse-pounding, pedal-to-the-metal chase that careens up, down and below the streets of Los Angeles. With an ensemble all-star cast that also includes Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def, Franky G and Donald Sutherland, The Italian Job is hot!
Shooter – Get ready for edge-of-your-seat thrills as Mark Wahlberg ignites the screen in his most compelling role yet: the Shooter. When respected former Marine scout sniper Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg) is pressed into service to stop an assassination attempt against the President, the unthinkable occurs: he’s double-crossed and framed for the attempt. Determined to prove his innocence, the rogue shooter is now in a high-tension race from every law enforcement agency in the country and a shadowy organization that wants him dead. From Training Day director Antoine Fuqua comes a gripping film co-starring Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon 4) and Michael Pena (World Trade Center). Joel Siegel of Good Morning America proclaims that Shooter is a “thriller… with a ton of white-knuckle action.” (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN: 50th Anniversary Edition (1960)
Synopsis: Spectacular gun battles, epic-sized heroes and an all-star cast that includes Academy Award® winners Yul Brynner and James Coburn, together with Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach and Charles Bronson, make The Magnificent Seven a legend among westerns. Spawning three sequels and a successful television series, and featuring Elmer Bernstein’s Oscar®-nominated score, this stunning remake of The Seven Samurai is “a hard-pounding adventure” (Newsweek) and “an enduringly popular” (Leonard Maltin) cinematic classic.
Merciless Calvera (Wallach) and his band of ruthless outlaws are terrorizing a poor Mexican village, and even the bravest lawmen can’t stop them. Desperate, the locals hire Chris Adams (Brynner) and six other gunfighters to defend them. With time running out before Calvera’s next raid, the heroic seven must prepare the villagers for this battle and help them find the courage to take back their town – or die trying! (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
THE NAME OF THE ROSE (1986)
Synopsis: Adapted from Umberto Eco’s best-selling novel, in the 14th century a progressive Franciscan monk called William of Baskerville solves a mysterious death at a secluded Benedictine Abbey with the help of his young novice. Eventually, Bernardo Gui, an inquisitor gets involved, but he may not have the best intentions. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Audio commentary from director Jean-Jacques Annaud; The Abbey Chimes featurette; Photo Video Journey; Trailer.
OUTSIDE THE LAW (2010)
Synopsis: Traces the life of three brothers whose family has been driven off its land and survived the Sétif massacres. They end up in France where two of the brothers campaign for Algerian independence. The Battle of Paris, which brings the FLN (National Liberation Front) into conflict with the French police, crushes and divides them. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Making-of Featurette; Interview with director Rachid Bouchareb; Cast Interviews; Deleted Scenes; Theatrical and Teaser Trailers.
THE PERFECT GAME (2009)
Synopsis: Cesar (Clifton Collins Jr., Star Trek) has returned to his native Mexico after his major league career is cut short. However, his career is reborn when a group of determined kids recruit him as coach for their rag-tag baseball team. Moises Arias (“Hannah Montana”), and Ryan Ochoa (“Pair of Kings”) costar as these resolute underdogs with Jake T. Austin (“Wizards of Waverly Place”) as Angel Macias, their ambidextrous pitcher…and the only pitcher to throw a Perfect Game in the championship game of the LLWS.
Together they form the unlikeliest of teams with the unlikeliest of goals. Cheech Marin (Spy Kids), Lou Gossett Jr. (Iron Eagle), Bruce McGill (Animal House), Emilie de Ravin (Lost) and David Koechner (Anchorman) also appear in this uplifting film directed by William Dear (Angels in the Outfield, Harry and the Hendersons). (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
QUARANTINE 2: TERMINAL (2011)
Synopsis: A plane is taken over by a mysterious virus. When the plane lands it is placed under quarantine. Now a group of survivors must band together to survive the quarantine. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
RIO (2011)
Synopsis:Captured as a young bird from the wild, Blu (Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network) is a domesticated Spix Macaw living thousands of miles away from his homeland, Brazil. When his human owner Linda (Leslie Mann, 17 Again) discovers that he is the last male of his kind, they head south to Rio de Janeiro to meet the only other female. But it’s far from love at first sight between the socially-awkward, flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel (Anne Hathaway, The Princess Diaries). Shortly after Blu’s arrival, the two rare birds are captured by greedy animal smugglers and find themselves lost in the Brazilian rainforest. Unexpectedly thrown together, they embark on a hilarious and clumsy adventure where they learn about friendship, love, courage and spreading one’s wings to fly. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Explore the World of Rio; Deleted Scene: Fruit Stand; Postcards from Rio; Carnival Dance O Rama; Rio de JAM-eiro Jukebox; Angry Birds Rio – Trailer, Nigel Mash Up, and Instructional Video; Music Videos; Boom-Boom Tish-Tish: The Sounds of Rio; The Making of Hot Wings; Saving the Species: One Voice at a Time; The Real Rio.
SANDS OF THE KALAHARI (1965)
Synopsis: A small plane crashes in the sweltering deserts of South Africa hundreds of miles from civilization. As parallels are drawn between the group of humans and a nearby pack of savage baboons, one of the men’s survivalist nature gets the better of him, as he decides his chances of survival would be better if the others were eliminated one-by-one. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
Double Feature: SHUTTER ISLAND/PRIMAL FEAR (2010/1996)
Synopsis: Primal Fear – An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.
Shutter Island – Drama set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding nearby. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
SLEEPERS (1996)
Synopsis: After a prank goes disastrously wrong, a group of boys are sent to a detention center where they are brutalized; over 10 years later, they get their chance for revenge. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Trailer.
SOUL SURFER: Blu-Ray/DVD Combo (2011)
Synopsis: Bethany was born to surf. A natural talent who took to the waves at a young age, she was leading an idyllic, sun-drenched, surfer girl’s life on the Kauai Coast, competing in national competitions with her best friend Alana, when everything changed in a heartbeat. On Halloween morning, Bethany was on a typical ocean outing when a 14-foot tiger shark came out of nowhere and seemed to shatter all her dreams. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Deleted Scenes; Soul Surfing Onto The Screen featurette; Surfing for the Screen: Inside the Action featurette; Becoming Bethany featurette; Heart of a Soul Surfer documentary.
SPY KIDS (2001)
Synopsis: Masters of disguise, innovators of invention, and superstars of sleuthing, Gregorio (Antonio Banderas) and Ingrid (Carla Gugino) are the best secret agents on Earth. Working for rival nations, they are sent to kill each other but instead fall in love. Now proud parents, they are called back to duty nine years later when their former colleagues start vanishing one by one thanks to evil genius Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming). But when they too disappear, there are only two people in the world who can rescue them…their kids! This high-octane adventure from director Robert Rodriguez is a must-see for everyone in the family. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: 10-Minute Film School; Deleted Scenes; Featurettes.
SPY KIDS 2: THE ISLAND OF LOST DREAMS (2002)
Synopsis: The pint-sized spy siblings are back in action! Having joined the family spy business, Juni (Daryl Sabara) and Carmen (Alexa Vega) rise up to save the planet from a mad scientist (Steve Buscemi) living on a remote island populated by all kinds of dangerous, crazy creatures. As this bizarre environment wreaks havoc on their gadgets, the Spy Kids must rely on their smarts – and each other – to save the day! (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: 10-Minute Film School; Deleted Scenes; Featurettes.
SPY KIDS 3: GAME OVER (2003)
Synopsis: The Spy Kids have entered a new dimension that will test their abilities like never before! Under-age agents Juni (Sabara) and Carmen (Vega) embark on their most mind-blowing mission yet: journeying inside a virtual-reality video game world designed to disorient them. Relying on their bravery, cool gadgets, lightning-quick reflexes – and, most importantly, their family – the Spy Kids must battle through level after level of the game as they race against the clock to save the world yet again from a new megalomaniacal villain, the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone). (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: 10-Minute Film School; Deleted Scenes; Featurettes.
STAKE LAND (2010)
Synopsis: America has fallen. A vampiric scourge sweeps the nation, turning brother on brother and parent on child as the blood-hungry beasts take deeper and deeper hold upon the land. It’s hard for the survivors to know whether to be more afraid of the creatures themselves or the violent religious groups that have sprung up in response, but there is clearly only one choice: fight or die.
Connor Paolo (Glee!) stars as Martin, a young man traveling with only his taciturn mentor – a hardened fighter known simply as Mister – as protection against this blasted earth in search of the rumoured safe haven of New Eden. Winner of the Midnight Madness Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and hailed as “the American horror film of the year” (Todd Brown, TwitchFilm.com), Stake Land establishes director Jim Mickle as a leader in the new generation of horror. (highdefdigest.com)
Special Features: Unknown/TBA.
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