Santa's Blu-ray hernia! Box set delirium!

There’s a veritable avalanche of blu-ray legacy titles heading our way for Q4 this year, featuring three very exciting, history-making box sets:

September 25th - Bond 50 features all 22 James Bond films (except for Never Say Never Again), including the debut of nine titles never before available in high-definition.

Yes, there’s some double-dipping here, and it may vex you that these films are not initially going to be available individually – you have to spring for the whole deal. But what you get is pretty exhaustive: You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds are Forever, The Spy Who Loved Me, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies are all making their hi-def debut, along with 122 hours of bonus features. Nearly everything from the previous Ultimate Edition Bond DVD & Blu-ray releases will be included here. The version over on Amazon IS packed with a limited edition hardcover book, James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters. You Only Live Twice, OHMSS, Diamonds are Forever, The Spy Who Loved Me and Goldeneye collectively make this worth springing for, as all 5 of these films are pretty spectacular representations of Bond at his best, each one with some fantastic sequences that have earned them a place among the best of the series.

September 25th - Universal is treating us to the new 15 film Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection, with 13 films never before available on Blu-ray, including The Birds, featuring the new documentary, The Birds: Hitchcock’s Monster Movie.  

Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, Rear Window, The Trouble with Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds, Marnie, Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy and Family Plot round-out the offerings. The set will include a collectible 50-page book featuring storyboards, costume sketches, correspondence, photographs and much more. Note that Dial M for Murder and Strangers on a Train are also arriving elsewhere on Blu on 10/9, with Dial M on 3D format. Can’t wait to see what they’ve done with The Birds, as there was ample opportunity to properly remaster and restore this absolutely splendid film.

October 9th - In plenty of time for Halloween comes Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection, including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Phantom of the Opera and Creature from the Black Lagoon. 

PHEW! All films are digitally restored from high-res film elements for the first time ever! And of course – wait for it – the set includes a 48-page book featuring behind the scenes photographs, original posters, correspondence and still more! Given the age of these films and their importance in movie history, this is one of the most exciting catalog releases of all time.

 

Okay, so that’s 45 films to add to your library – better clear some shelf space and refinance!

Ridley's Redux: Prometheus Unbound

It's been several days and I still keep running images from Prometheus through my mental movie screen. When you've been looking forward to a film this much for so long, there's a lot of potential for disappointment - especially when it's been hyped as fervently (and effectively) as Prometheus has been.

Now that the curtain has been pulled back, there've been all kinds of bizarre reactions, some arguing if it's really a prequel or not - were you awake?

Prometheus is the best science fiction film I've seen in ages - certainly since Avatar - probably since way before.

This is ambitious, epic stuff. Like the best sci-fi novels, Prometheus dares to take us into a future where we certainly still recognize ourselves, giving us a story that actually dares to be about something. 99% of directors would have phoned in the idea of an Alien prequel - not Ridley Scott. Given the choice of delivering a rip-roaring sci-fi audience crowd-pleaser or a film that actually challenges the audience with notions about our place in the cosmos, Ridley Scott chose to do both - and has pulled it off like a house on fire. Noomi Rapace shines as the most effective half of an archaeologist couple who've uncovered what seems to be evidence that mankind was visited by and possibly even created by extraterrestrial engineers. A trillion dollars later, the space vessel Prometheus is about to land on a planet that may hold all the answers to the origin of mankind - or may make asking such questions a very low priority.

The film is anchored by an amazing performance from Michael Fassbender as David, who's on his way to being the most memorable character of the year. A synthetic person, David is responsible for monitoring the ship and crew during the long cryosleep voyage to their ultimate destination. Like a butler with impeccable breeding, David amuses himself by mastering basketball and studying endless screenings of Lawrence of Arabia. Fassbender continues to be one of the most fascinating actors working today.

Once landing, there are sequences of grandeur and ultimately terror. The film echoes many moments from the original Alien - ship lands on planet; someone is exposed to something more than they realized; someone is told they can't come back aboard due to potential infection; someone loses their head - then there's a bravura sequence of genuine shock and suspense that will have audiences gripping their seats - Ridley may be 74, but scenes like this show he still directs with the vigor of someone a third his age.

Characters do behave stupidly - there are moments when removing your space helmet is always a bad idea. But I found myself so caught up in events with things moving along so quickly I barely had time to raise an eyebrow. Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Guy Pearce are all fascinating in their own right. Though it's Fassbender who knocks it out of the park.

Prometheus seems destined to start a lot of arguments - I've been amazed at some of the negative reactions I've heard, to the point that I wonder if I saw the same film. There are themes at work here about faith, choice and the nature of man that are going to upset some people. But no one can say that Ridley Scott   recycled himself for a buck. He's created one of his most amazing films and revisited a universe beloved by fans in a fresh and exciting way. The production design and effects are jaw-dropping. There's one scene at the very end which I felt was out of place, like a hot dog served at the very end of a gourmet meal - but if you've been yearning for visionary, thoughtful science fiction that doesn't answer all your questions simply, take up the challenge and get to Prometheus. Ridley Scott has returned to science fiction - I hope you stay here a while, Ridley. From where I'm sitting, your eye has been greatly missed.

In Space, no one can hear you CREAM!

I'll wait a few days before posting a full review, but I'm here to tell you that Ridley Scott's Prometheus is the real McCoy - one of the most epic, visionary and mythic works of science fiction since Kubrick's 2001.

The mind-blowing secrets of Prometheus are legion - and given how quick to spoil such wonders are these days, my advice is to RUN out to see Prometheus as fast as you can, before these treasures start to become common knowledge.

Thank you, Ridley - I am over the moon...!

The last good fight you'll ever know - The Grey!

Holy murderin' Mary! The Grey is one of the best, most kick-ass films I've seen in ages! God bless you, Joe Carnahan, ye whose A-Team summer tentpole had its moments - but nothing prepared me for this. I can't remember the last time I saw location shooting this compelling and gut-wrenchingly engaging. I don't want to spoil anything here, so sorry - no synopsis. Just know that if you're looking for an in-your-face outdoor survival yarn that drinks from the same hard-edged seventies well as Deliverance, The Grey serves up the existential action face-rip you're looking for. Liam Neeson is fantastic - there's only one other "name" actor in the mix, and it took the end credits for me to ID him, so see for yourself. And about those end credits - you might want to hang out for all of them - no reason...The Grey is world class adult action filmmaking and you will have one hell of a time finding anything better to catch at home this week. Get to know the name of cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi, as his work here behind the camera is nothing short of astonishing. Carnahan and Takayanagi are definitely going places. Supremely, humbly, viscerally recommended!

At long last: first trailer for SKYFALL!

Six months to go and we get our first real footage from the next long-awaited Bond outing! This looks like vintage Bond to me. A quick glimpse of the Aston Martin and only the barest hint of Javier Bardem - but Skyfall is looking like it delivers!

 

ASSEMBLE!!! Avengers rocks!

Summer is upon us at last, True Believers! And what a way to get started! The Avengers just smashed the all-time biggest weekend opening ever at $200.3 million (the previous record holder, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 had earned $169.2 million).

Josh Whedon is now officially The Man. Do you know the phrase, "crowd pleaser?" That's The Avengers. A phenomenal main course after the appetizers of Captain America, Thor and Iron Man, The Avengers does everything on a massive scale while keeping the characters fresh, human and easy to relate to. The idea of Josh Whedon suddenly becoming one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, able to make anything he desires, is a giddy one to contemplate.

The biggest howls from the audience all belong to The Hulk, as personified by Mark Ruffalo. I lost count of how many leap-from-your-seat moments The Hulk inspired. Everyone is terrific, even Scarjo - who makes Black Widow a much more interesting and clever of an asset to the team here. I want to stay as spoiler-free as possible, but you should banish any thoughts of disappointment from your mind and run to this movie. The effects are off the charts. You will see the Helicarrier. You will see Nick Fury shoulder a bazooka. You will see New York turned into a battlefield. You will see moments you've been hoping to see made flesh since the days of Jack Kirby. The only sour note is Fury's aid Maria Hill, played by Cobie Smulders - the victim of some truly milk-curdling line readings.

Tom Hiddleston is remarkable as Loki, surpassing his turn in Thor in a major way. He's fantastic here and gets to be a true old school villain locking horns with each member of the A Team.

It's easy to see why the movie's done so well - it's that rare film that makes you want to tell everyone you know about it - and then march back and see it again. I suspect Avengers sequels will be a mainstay every 2-3 years for a while.

What's particularly marvelous about The Avengers is the cross-generational appeal. I saw faithful Silver Age  greybeards and youngsters of age six gaping at this movie with equal glee. It's definitely got the chops to make everyone happy - if you love comics or just love a rip-roaring, entertaining movie, grab your hammer, get a little angry - and suit up!

Sherlock returns: this Sunday!

As if Sundays weren't busy enough, with Game of Thrones, Mad Men and The Snoozing - I mean, The Killing. But they can all take a back seat. This coming Sunday heralds the longed-for return of BBC's splendid Sherlock, back for its second season of three feature-length episodes - A Scandal in Belgravia, The Hounds of Baskerville and The Reichenbach Fall.


Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman star. Incredibly, word from across the pond has this second season being even better than the first! If you haven't seen the first season yet, grab your deerstalker - this is one of the best shows of the modern age and a real gem. Welcome back, Holmes!