CHICAGO – Universal Home Video is releasing a wave of titles timed for Father’s Day gifts. Some of their choices - “Field of Dreams,” “Fletch” - seem like logical picks for a better HD daddy day than another striped tie while others seem chosen purely because they have the word “Men” or “Man” in the title - “Children of Men,” “Cinderella Man,” “Inside Man”.
Most are pretty good and some are great. Pick your favorite and give it to your Blu-Ray pop.
“Inside Man” will be released on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009.
The other five titles were released on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009.
“Children of Men”
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Synopsis: “No children. No future. No hope. In the year 2027, eighteen years since the last baby was born, Clive Owen portrays an unlikely champion of the human race when he is asked by his former love, played by Julianne Moore to escort a young pregnant woman out of the country as quickly as possible. In a thrilling race against time, Theo will risk everything to deliver the miracle the whole world has been waiting for.”
“Children of Men” stars Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Charlie Hunnam. The film was written by Alfonso Cuaron & Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby and directed by Alfonso Cuaron. It is rated R.
The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.
Special features include Deleted Scenes; Visual Effects - Creating the Baby; Futuristic Design; Theo & Julian; Under Attack; The Possibility of Hope; Children of Men Comments by Slavoj Zizek.
HD features include U-Control Picture-in-Picture, “Info & Commercials,” and BD-Live.
“Cinderella Man”
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Synopsis: “Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger star in this triumphant, powerfully inspiring true story. In a time when America needed a champion, an unlikely hero would arise, proving how hard a man would fight to win a second chance for his family and for himself. Suddenly thrust into the national spotlight, boxer Jim Braddock (Crowe) would defy the odds against him and stun the world with one of the greatest comebacks in history. Driven by love for his family, he willed an impossible dream to come true.”
“Cinderella Man” stars Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Bruce McGill, and Paddy Considine. The film was written by Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman and directed by Ron Howard. It is rated PG-13.
The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.
Special features include Feature Commentary with Director Ron Howard; Feature Commentary with Writer Akiva Goldsman; Feature Commentary with Writer Cliff Hollingsworth; Deleted Scenes; The Fight Card - Casting Cinderella Man; For the Record - A History in Boxing; Ringside Seats; Jim Braddock - The Friends & Family Behind the Legend; Pre-Fight Preparations; Lights, Camera, Action - The Fight From Every Angle; Braddock vs. Baer Fight Footage, Photo Montage; The Sound of the Bell; Cinderella Man Music Featurette; The Human Face of Depression; Russell Crowe’s Personal Journey - Becoming Jim Braddock.
HD features include BD-Live.
“Field of Dreams”
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Synopsis: ““If you build it, he will come.” With these words, Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) is inspired by a voice he can’t ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Also starring Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, and Amy Madigan, Field of Dreams is an extraordinary and unforgettable experience that has moved critics and audiences like no other film of its generation.”
“Field of Dreams” stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, and Burt Lancaster. It was written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is rated PG.
The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.
Special features include Deleted Scenes with Introductions by Phil Alden Robinson; From Father to Son - Passing Along the Pastime; Roundtable with Kevin Costner, Bret Saberhagen, George Brett and Johnny Bench; The Diamond in the Husks; Galena, IL
Pinch Hits for Chishol, MN; Field of Dreams - A Scrapbook; Bravo Special - From Page to Screen; Theatrical Trailer; Feature Commentary with Director Phil Alden Robinson and Director of Photography John Lindley.
HD features include BD-Live.
“Fletch”
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Synopsis: “Chevy Chase is at his hilarious best as Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher, a newspaper reporter who changes his identity more often than his underwear. While working on a drug expose, he stumbles onto a scam that gets him up to his byline in murder, police corruption, and forbidden romance. For this ace newsman, it’ll be the story of the year, if can only stay alive till the deadline.”
“Fletch” stars Chevy Chase, Joe Don Baker, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Richard Libertini, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Tim Matheson. It was written by Andrew Bergman and directed by Michael Ritchie. It is rated PG.
The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.
Special features include Just Charge It To The Underhills: Making and Remembering Fletch; From John Cocktoastin To Harry S. Truman: The Disguises; Favorite Fletch Moments; Theatrical Trailer.
HD features include BD-Live.
“Inside Man”
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Synopsis: “Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, and Jodie Foster star in this intense and explosive crime thriller. The perfect bank robbery quickly spirals into an unstable and deadly game of cat-and-mouse between a criminal mastermind (Owen), a determined detective (Washington), and a power broker with a hidden agenda (Foster). As the minutes tick by and the situation becomes increasingly tense, one wrong move could mean disaster for any one of them.”
“Inside Man” stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. It was written by Russell Gewirtz and directed by Spike Lee. It is rated R.
The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.
Special features include Feature Commentary with Director Spike Lee; Deleted Scenes; The Making of Inside Man; Number 4.
HD features include BD-Live.
“Seabiscuit”
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Synopsis: “A great American story from Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Gary Ross, starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, and Chris Cooper. Seabiscuit is based on the inspiring true story of three men – a jockey, a trainer, and a businessman – and the
undersized racehorse who took the entire nation on the ride of a lifetime.”
“Seabiscuit” stars Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Gary Stevens, and William H. Macy. It was written and directed by Gary Ross. It is rated PG-13.
The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.
Special features include Bringing the Legend to Life: The Making of Seabiscuit; Anatomy of a Movie Moment; Seabiscuit - Racing Through History; Photo Finish - Jeff Bridges’ On the Set Photographs; Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral, The 1983 Match Race; Winner’s
Circle - The Heroes Behind the Legend; The True Story of Seabiscuit; HBO First Look; Feature Commentary with Director Gary Ross and Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh.
HD features include BD-Live.
“Spy Game”
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Synopsis: “When a top-secret, unauthorized mission goes awry, Brad Pitt as CIA agent Tom Bishop is captured – and sentenced to die. With just 24 hours to get him out alive, Bishop’s boss, played by Robert Redford must battle enemies abroad and the system inside the CIA to save his friend. Now the clock is ticking and the race is on.”
“Spy Game” stars Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane, Larry Bryggman. It was written by Michael Frost Beckner and David Arata and directed by Tony Scott. It is rated R.
The Blu-Ray video is presented in 1080p High Definition with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.
Special features include Feature Commentary with Director Tony Scott; Feature Commentary with Producers Mark Abraham & Douglas Wick; Deleted Scenes with Optional Director’s Commentary; Alternate Versions of Existing Scenes with Optional Director’s Commentary; Clandestine OPS; Script-To-Storyboard Process Featuring the Director.
HD features include BD-Live.
 [19] | By BRIAN TALLERICO [20] |
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