Blu-Ray Best Of The Best - for discussing releases only

[Lyris]

That's a real shame, it's always sad to see a small label go, and from what I've sampled from them, their discs weren't exactly bad either (even if they made one or two mistakes... with a big catalogue, who wouldn't).

[NekoFever]

That's a shame. Tartan always put out really good versions of Asian films and I bought a lot of them. I'll have to stick one on as a eulogy.

[JP]

That's so sad, I imagine many of their potential future releases are probably of no interest to the larger distributors. I'm really hoping that one of the better studios picks their stuff up wholesale.

It always felt like Hamish McAlpine had a genuine interest in what they were doing rather than him just being in it for the turnover.

I've already got Oldboy on it's way over from the US as I'd just started buying their HD stuff. I also have I'm a Cyborg & The Seventh Seal on order from sendit.com too so as you can see my Tartan collection was just starting off with a bit of a bang.

I wonder what will happen to their stuff now?

EDIT:
I think this probably deserves it's own thread to be honest so I'll get one started.

[SuperDanX]

Optimum Home Entertainment have announced the UK Blu-ray Disc release of a bumper crop of catalogue titles on 4th August 2008. All titles are priced at £19.99 each. Please read on for updated information on these releases, including region coding and details on extras which have changed on Terminator 2, Total Recall and The Fog.

Please also note the following updated region coding info on Optimum's "New Release" titles for June, July and August:

My Blueberry Nights, Diary of the Dead, Son of Rambow - Region B
All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, The Orphanage - All Regions

First up is a series of titles released under a “Blu-ray Action Icons” banner. These comprise of…

Stargate (Special Edition) - Arriving the same day as a new UK DVD release, features include:
Theatrical (116mins) and Director’s Cut (124mins) versions
5.1 Audio
Audio commentary Dean Devlin (co-writer and producer) and Roland Emmerich (director and co-writer) (Director’s Cut)
Making Of (52’)
Trailer
Is There A Stargate? Doc (36 mins)
Newswraps: x 5 –reels focusing on Story / Cast/ Production / Design / Director - B-roll selection (6 mins)
Total Recall - Arriving the same day as a new Schwarzenegger DVD collection, the Blu-ray is a dual-layer barebones release coded for Regions A and B with the film presented in 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen (VC1) with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The disc was previously announced with extras - please note Optimum have informed us these will no longer be included.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Director's Cut) - The Blu-ray is a dual-layer barebones release coded for Regions A and B with the film presented in 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen (VC1) with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The disc was previously announced with extras - please note Optimum have informed us these will no longer be included.

Cliffhanger - A dual-layer disc coded for Region B, features include:
1080P Widescreen (VC1)
English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English Dolby Digital Stereo and 5.1 audio
Personal Introduction From Renny Harlin
The Making Of "Cliffhanger"
Making Of "Cliffhanger" (EPK)
Deleted Scenes
Storyboard Comparisons
Special Effects: How it was done
Interviews with Sylvester Stallone, Renny Harlin, Janine Turner, John Lithgow and Michael Rooker
Trailers
TV Spots
Also arriving are individual releaes of First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rambo III. The discs are the same as those in the Ultimate Rambo Collection which are coded for Regions A and B, presented in 1080P Widescreen with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and optional English subtitles. The only extra is the same "Sly vs Rambo" interview on each disc.

Arriving alongside the above Action Icons titles are three John Carpenter titles on Blu-ray…

Escape From New York
Return to Escape from New York (23 mins)
New and exclusive John Carpenter interview (31 mins)
3 x original trailers
Snakes Crime (deleted original intro)
5.1 Audio
Commentary

They Live
EPK – 8 min ‘making of’ featurette
Commentary

The Fog - The Blu-ray is a dual-layer barebones release coded for Regions A and B with the film presented in 1080P 2.35:1 Widescreen (VC1) with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The disc was previously announced with extras - please note Optimum have informed us these will no longer be included.

[Lyris]

Total Recall - please note Optimum have informed us these will no longer be included.

Good thing they caught that beforehand, otherwise they might have had to RECALL it

[Salsa Party Animal]

So is T2 Director's Cut is the one to go for ? I want something to replace my T2 Ultimate edition DVD and only want a blu ray with extended version.

For Sopranos Blu Ray boxset. I want it but I am not desperate for it and can wait for price to drop (Hopefully in December)

[teddymeow]

Looking back a couple of posts to what Mr Parry was saying about the upcoming Nightwatch & Daywatch Blu-rays. Those covers look really cool. I only recently watched Nightwatch when it was on, I think, Film 4 and haven't seen Daywatch yet so I think I may hold off and wait for these to be released before I do.

[JP]

I've not seen either of those films and read very different views about them both so I'm really not sure what to make of them yet. I don't think I'll buy them until I've seen them on telly first.

Does anybody know if Sympathy For Mr Vengeance got a blu-ray release as I'd really like to complete the set with my Oldboy & Lady Vengeance before Tartan disappear completely?

[teddymeow]

Nightwatch has actually just started on Film 4. Quality!!

[Rossco]

Just watched Rambo, got it from Movietyme today, immense!

Really great showcase for Bluray in my amateur opinion! Some scenes just look stunning and the sound - which was just normal DTS at 1.5Mpbs for me - was class, especially in the closing scenes.

Has anyone listened to Stallone's commentary on it yet? Might do that tomorrow.

[CMcK]

Day Watch is better than Night Watch. Day Watch is another film about potential and destiny but is even further from the source material than the first film.
It seems that Twilight Watch may not be filmed now and Day Watch does leave it with a mostly satisfactory conclusion.

The film is very well directed with some impressive shots and good action sequences.
Both Blu-ray must buys for me.

[ne0star]

Watched Cloverfield over the weekend and really enjoyed it. I thought the level of detail given the nature of the film was superb.

In fact I wondered if the extra detail of the bluray actually allowed you to see more of the monster than was intended.

It was nice to watch something that used the format a little bit differently.

[JP]

23rd September 2008, mark it down and set aside about £50.

Making next-gen fans an offer they can't refuse, Paramount is boxing up the entire 'Godfather' trilogy and bringing it to Blu-ray this September with newly-restored elements and hours of bonus material.

Due on September 23 (day-and-date with a new standard DVD re-issue), 'The Godfather Collection' contains all three installments in the epic saga -- 'The Godfather,' 'The Godfather Part II,' and 'The Godfather Part III' -- each painstakingly restored by the team at Zoetrope Studios in what is being dubbed "The Coppola Restoration." Enjoying a frame-by-frame remaster under the auspices of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and restoration supervisor Kim Aubry, the project reportedly took a year to complete and was recovered using freshly-minted source materials.

Tech specs for each film include a BD-50 dual-layer presentation with 1080p video, and first-ever high-res audio tracks in English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround. (Optional Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English and French, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish, with 'The Godfather' and 'The Godfather Part II' also including the original English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono presentation.)

Extras on each of the three individual film discs in the set include audio commentary with director Francis Ford Coppola.

Also included in 'The Godfather Collection' is a bonus fourth disc with hours of extensive bonus material (much of it presented in full HD video). Among the supplemental content is a suite of five featurettes ("Godfather World," "The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't," "...Then the Shooting Stopped," "Emulsional Rescue-Revealing The Godfather," "The Godfather on the Red Carpet"), a quartet of "Short Films on The Godfather" ("The Godfather vs. The Godfather, Part II," "Cannoli," "Riffing on the Riffing," "Clemenza"), a multi-part "Behind the Scenes" documentary ("The Godfather Family: A Look Inside," "On Location," "Francis Coppola's Notebook," "The Music of the Godfather," "Coppola & Puzo on Screenwriting," "Gordon Willis on Cinematography"), additional vignettes on "The Filmmakers" ("Francis Ford Coppola," "Mario Puzo," "Gordon Willis," "Dean Tavoularis," "Nino Rota," "Carmine Coppola"), storyboards, additional scenes, an "Acclaim & Response" marketing and publicity section, a "Crime Organization Chart," two still galleries, and theatrical trailers.

Though Paramount and Zoetrope plan to make the three 'Godfather' films available as standalone DVD releases, the studio has confirmed that at this date, only the 'The Godfather Collection' box set will be made available on Blu-ray. Suggested list price has been set at $119.95.

THE GODFATHER: The Coppola Restoration Blu-ray Collection

THE GODFATHER: The Coppola Restoration Blu-ray four-disc set is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Mono (except The Godfather: Part III) and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The following special features are presented in high definition as noted:

Disc 1:

- The Godfather feature film
- Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola

Disc 2:

- The Godfather, Part II feature film
- Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola

Disc 3:

- The Godfather, Part III feature film
- Commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola

Disc 4:

- Godfather World (HD)
- The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't (HD)
- ...when the shooting stopped (HD)
- Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather (HD)
- The Godfather on the Red Carpet (HD)
- Four Short Films on The Godfather
--- The Godfather vs. The Godfather, Part II (HD)
--- Cannoli (HD)
--- Riffing on the Riffing (HD)
--- Clemenza (HD)
- The Family Tree
- Crime Organization Chart
- Connie and Carlo's Wedding Album

2001 DVD Archive:

-Behind the Scenes
-- The Godfather Family: A Look Inside
-- On Location
-- Francis Coppola's Notebook
-- The Music of the Godfather
-- Coppola & Puzo on Screenwriting
-- Gordon Willis on Cinematography
-- Storyboards from The Godfather, Part II
-- Storyboards from The Godfather, Part III
-- The Godfather: Behind the Scenes 1971
- The Filmmakers
-- Francis Ford Coppola
-- Mario Puzo
-- Gordon Willis
-- Dean Tavoularis
-- Nino Rota
-- Carmine Coppola
- Additional Scenes
- Acclaim & Response
- Trailers (HD)
- Photo Gallery
- Rogues' Gallery

[ezee ryder]

Great news! Another excuse to watch the great movies all over again

[JP]

Even better news is that Robert A Harris is involved in the restoration so that bodes well for the quality.

Remember last year, when Jahnke and I had that amazing movie experience, except we were sworn to secrecy about it, but we promised that you would all get to experience it yourselves eventually? THIS is what we were talking about. We've seen the first two restored films (a restoration personally supervised by The Digital Bits' own Robert A. Harris), presented on the big screen. The result is just breathtaking. You may recall that there was a lot of talk, back when these films were first released on DVD, that the image quality was underwhelming, and how sad it was that the films had deteoriated so badly. Simply put, they've now been saved. The films haven't looked this good since their original theatrical release. If you're a fan of The Godfather Trilogy, trust me - you're going to LOVE these discs.

I think it's a fair price too, especially when you consider that the DVD set has a SRP of $72:99 ($19:99 each) compared to $119:99 for the BD set.