DVD News

‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ DVD, Blu-Ray Release Date Announced

BrianTT — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:23:12 -0600

CHICAGO – Our wonderful DreamWorks contact just sent over the DVD and Blu-Ray details, along with the cover art, for the biggest movie of the year, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. The Michael Bay blockbuster with Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, and Tyrese Gibson will land in exactly two months, on October 20th, 2009.

Filled with special features, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” will be available on Blu-Ray and DVD in two-disc sets. Grossing over $820 million to date worldwide, the Michael Bay directed and Steven Spielberg produced film currently ranks in the top twenty of all time worldwide and the top ten domestically.

Special features on the film include a commentary and a multi-chapter documentary that chronicles the entire creation of the film and includes interviews with the cast and crew called “The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen”.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 20th, 2009.
Photo credit: DreamWorks Home Video

Here are the official details:

The TRANSFORMERS: Revenge of the Fallen two-disc Special Edition DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. The Blu-ray will be presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. The disc breakdown is as follows:

Disc 1:
Commentary by Michael Bay, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman

Disc 2:
The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen—This multi-chapter documentary chronicles the entire creation of the film and includes interviews with the cast and crew:

o Seeds of Vengeance - Development and Design - After the overwhelming success of 2007’s Transformers, how do the filmmakers top themselves for the sequel?
o Domestic Destruction – Production: United States - Michael Bay believes in going big: Big action and big explosions. Cast and crew are pushed to the limit as they traverse the U.S. from New Mexico to Pennsylvania.
o Joint Operations – Production: Military - No other filmmaker in the world enjoys the kind of military access and cooperation Michael Bay has. Here we see just how efficient our armed forces are and the awe and respect shown by the cast.
o Wonders of the World – Production: Middle East - You can’t really reproduce Egypt anywhere but Egypt so off we go to Giza and Luxor.
o Start Making Sense - Editing - In order to turn over the massive amount of film as quickly as possible to VFX, four editors work tirelessly in a unique tag-team approach to shape the film.
o Under the Gun – Visual Effects – Revenge of the Fallen features the most complicated VFX in film history. So complicated in fact that the filmmakers were unsure they would make the deadline. The DEVASTATOR VFX alone required 83% of ILM’s total render farm capacity.
o Running the Gauntlet – Post-Production and Release - Working seven days a week, Michael Bay and company usher the film through sound design, Digital Intermediate color-timing and a globe-trotting whirlwind of premieres.

A Day with Bay: Tokyo—An intimate and fun all-access journey with Michael Bay as he travels to Tokyo, Japan tor the world premiere of the biggest film of the year.

25 Years of TRANSFORMERS—Access an all-new featurette celebrating a monumental milestone for one of Hasbro’s most successful and popular franchises.

NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—Explore conceptual artwork created by the production for 12 of the most popular AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS from the film.

Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto— A series of multi-angle pre-visualization sequences allowing viewers to learn how some of the film’s most spectacular scenes were created with an introduction by Michael Bay.

Extended Scenes

Music Video: Linkin Park’s “New Divide”

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE:
The ALLSPARK Experiment—Viewers get their chance to unleash the power of the recently recovered ALLSPARK shard on Earth vehicles. Begin by selecting and customizing a vehicle with a selection of parts and accessories. Then apply the ALLSPARK to this creation and watch what happens. Applying the ALLSPARK to certain custom combinations enables four new robot characters with special powers. If viewers discover all four, they unlock a fifth vehicle, which reveals a top secret message about the future of the TRANSFORMERS movie franchise.

NEST: Transformer Data-Hub—A database of some of the TRANSFORMERS characters that appear in the new film, offering users access to each robot’s confidential file including:

o Innovative 3D spin galleries of each robot
o A timeline for each TRANSFORMERS character charting its origins, back story and design evolution from toys to animated series to comics and finally feature films

Giant Effing Movie – A very personal look at the making of the movie.

The Matrix of Marketing—An archive of the film’s promotional media including trailers, posters and television spots.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Release Date, Cover Art For Criterion’s ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’

BrianTT — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:35:15 -0600

CHICAGO – Paramount/Criterion made a huge announcement today, revealing that David Fincher’s Oscar-winning “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” will be inducted into The Criterion Collection in its debut on DVD and Blu-Ray on May 5th, 2009. The Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett drama will arrive in a two-disc special edition DVD and two-disc Blu-Ray with over three hours of special features.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” was named by over 150 critics as one of the best films of 2008. The film marks Fincher’s first inclusion in the prestigious Criterion Collection. Cover art below.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on May 5th, 2009.
Photo credit: Paramount Home Video

The official details:

“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button two-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray boast over three hours of enthralling special features including interviews with stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with behind-the-scenes footage of their astonishing on-screen transformations, an in-depth documentary revealing the unusual journey of the film itself including the secrets of its award-winning visual effects and an exploration of the groundbreaking computer wizardry that brought the magical world of Benjamin Button to life.”

“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button two-disc and single-disc DVD are presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround and English, French and Spanish subtitles. The two-disc Blu-ray is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio™, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. The two-disc Criterion Edition DVD and two-disc Criterion Blu-ray include the following special features:

o The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button—four-part documentary:
o Academy Award-nominated director David Fincher introduces the surprising beginnings of what would become an epic masterpiece including the casting of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, the decision to change the location of the story to New Orleans and more.
o Follow the production from day one including the challenges of aging Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, designing over five thousand costumes and creating the animatronic baby.
o Explore the incredible visual effects techniques created specifically for the film that allowed Brad Pitt to play the title character at virtually every age. Also includes a visit to the scoring stage with composer Alexandre Desplat.
o Walk the red carpet at the film’s premiere in New Orleans, with final thoughts from cast and crew.
o Audio Commentary by director David Fincher

There is also a single-disc DVD presentation that includes the feature film.

‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ will be released by Paramount Home Video and stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Jason Flemyng, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond, and Jared Harris. It was written by Eric Roth and directed by David Fincher. It will be released on May 5th, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Stores to Host Release Parties For ‘Twilight’ DVD on Friday, March 20, 2009

BrianTT — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:24:44 -0700

CHICAGO – Can’t wait to get your hands on “Twilight” on DVD? Summit Home Entertainment announced today that on Friday, March 20th, 2009, from 10PM until 12 midnight, fans across the country will be able to celebrate and count down the minutes until they can take their favorite movie home.

Participating retailers will stay open late and host release parties for “Twilight” fans looking to purchase the DVD of the epic romance based on the Stephenie Meyer book. Want to know where to go? The official website will have a store locator to point you in the right direction. The site will have breaking information about stores and events surrounding the “Twilight” release. We’ll also have a review up on HollywoodChicago.com as soon as possible. Stay tuned.

“Twilight” will be released on DVD on March 21, 2009.
Photo credit: Summit Home Entertainment

According to the Summit press release, executive at Summit Entertainment decided to work with retailers to make this special edition DVD something that will not disappoint fans. Steve Nickerson, President of Home Entertainment said, “We wanted to say thank you to all of those who came out in droves last year and helped make Stephenie Meyer’s characters and story a truly successful movie. What better way to celebrate than a weekend party with your fellow Twilight fans.”

“Twilight,” which stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Ashley Greene and Taylor Lautner from director Catherine Hardwicke, has grossed $178 million domestically. This has put the “New Moon” sequel from director Chris Weitz into production immediately and has spawned a series of casting rumors. Other books in the Stephenie Meyer series include “Eclipse” and “Breaking Dawn”.

Read our story about AnnaLynne McCord auditioning for “New Moon”.
Read our story about Dakota Fanning talking about “New Moon”.
Read our story about the open casting call for “New Moon”.
Read our story about Lucy Hale auditioning for “New Moon”.
Read our story about Dakota Fanning auditioning for “New Moon”.
Read our Vanessa Hudgens role denial story for “New Moon”.
Read our Robert Pattinson story on “Parts Per Billion” and “New Moon”.
See our 2009 Summit release slideshow with “New Moon”.
See our high-quality, 28-image “Twilight” slideshow.
Read our “Twilight” opening-weekend box-office story.
Read our “Twilight” sequel story prior to opening weekend.
Read our story about Taylor Lautner’s casting in “New Moon”.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

New DC Universe DVD Title, Cover Revealed: ‘Green Lantern: First Flight’

BrianTT — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:50:20 -0700

CHICAGO – Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation have revealed the fifth title in their popular DVD series of DC Universe animated original “PG-13” movies. In addition, they have sent HollywoodChicago.com the cover for “Green Lantern: First Flight”. The July 28, 2009 release will follow “Superman: Doomsday,” “Justice League: The New Frontier,” “Batman: Gotham Knight” and “Wonder Woman,” which will hit stores on March 3, 2009 and will be reviewed here later this week.

“First Flight” tells the story of Hal Jordan’s initial mission in the illuminated hero’s first-ever full-length animated film. The title will be released as a special edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray Hi-Def, as well as single disc DVD.

The DC Universe titles have been acclaimed for the accomplished voice talent and “First Flight” will feature some great actors including “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit“‘s Christopher Meloni as Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern. Meloni will be joined by fellow Emmy Award nominee Victor Garber (“Alias”) as the villainous Sinestro, Tricia Helfer (“Burn Notice,” “Battlestar Galactica,” as Boodikka, and Michael Madsen (“Reservoir Dogs”) as Kilowog.

Animation legend Bruce Timm will produce “Green Lantern: First Flight” and the title will be helmed by director Lauren Montgomery (“Wonder Woman,” “Superman: Doomsday”). The script for “First Flight” was written by four-time Emmy Award-winning writer Alan Burnett (“The Batman”).

Green Lantern: First Flight
Image credit: Warner Brothers

The official synopsis: “Green Lantern: First Flight finds Hal Jordan recruited to join the Green Lantern Corps and placed under the supervision of respected senior Lantern Sinestro. The earthling soon discovers his mentor is actually the central figure in a secret conspiracy that threatens the philosophies, traditions and hierarchy of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Hal must quickly hone his newfound powers and combat the treasonous Lanterns within the ranks to maintain order in the universe.”

Bonus features:

-Over three hours of extra content
-Two Featurettes
-Digital Copy Download
-Widescreen (1.78:1)
-Two Episodes of Justice League hand-picked by animation legend Bruce Timm

Green Lantern: First Flight Blu-Ray versions will include all the great extras as the 2-disc Special Edition as well as an additional two episodes of Justice League picked by Bruce Timm.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Taking the Oscars Home: How to See the 2009 Academy Award Winners

BrianTT — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:57:43 -0700

CHICAGO – Believe it or not, a lot of people heard about some critically acclaimed 2009 films for the first time on Sunday night, when they won or were nominated for 2009 Academy Awards and are now wondering how they can see winning films like “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” and shorts like “La Maison en Petits Cubes” and “Toyland”. Let us guide the way.

Milk
Photo credit: Universal

Of course, the big winner of the night was “Slumdog Millionaire,” which does not yet have a DVD/Blu-Ray release date, but you can expect one soon. The film will probably get another expansion in theaters to capitalize on its eight Oscars before a DVD release in probably May or June.

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” winner of three awards, didn’t get enough major trophies to get a theatrical expansion, but also doesn’t have a release date yet. Expect it in late April or early May, although they could be putting together a more “special edition,” which would delay till closer to Summer.

In the final bit of sad, major winner news, “The Reader” is still playing in theaters, so you’ll have to pay to see Kate Winslet on the big screen or wait a while for the home release.

Now for the good news. Three out of the four acting winners are either on DVD/Blu-Ray now or coming soon.

Sean Penn won best actor and Dustin Lance Black won best original screenplay for “Milk” and Focus/Universal has timed that film’s home release perfectly, bringing Gus Van Sant’s masterful film home on March 10th, 2009. Universal also holds the DVD rights to the fifth best picture nominee “Frost/Nixon”. The Ron Howard film will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.

Frost/Nixon
Photo credit: Universal

Both supporting award winners were already available at DVD stores. You can catch Penelope Cruz’s work in the great “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and Heath Ledger’s in the amazing “The Dark Knight” now. You’re not a movie fan if you haven’t seen them both.

The question I was asked the most on Sunday night was how to see the Oscar-nominated and winning short films. Most are all available on iTunes for $1.99 a piece. Sadly, the deserving and gorgeous animated winner, “La Maison en Petits Cubes,” is not available.

But there’s still a few shorts worth checking out. Start with the winning and touching “Toyland”. If you want to see more deserving nominees, the animated “This Way Up” is totally worth the time and live action “Auf Der Strecke (On the Line)” & “Manon on the Asphalt” are both better than the actual winner, in my opinion. And better than “The Reader”.

Of course, the most Oscar-nominated animated film of all time and the winner in its specialized category, “WALL-E” has been available on DVD and Blu-Ray for a while now. If you’re thinking about upgrading to Blu-Ray and HD, “WALL-E” may be reason enough. It’s beautiful.

The winner for best documentary, “Man on Wire” is also available on DVD and Blu-Ray, but the foreign language film winner, “Departures,” hasn’t even played in most domestic markets. Good luck tracking that one down, although its win should get it a wider theatrical release than it otherwise would have received.

Doubt
Photo credit: Miramax

Finally, the winner for best costume design, “The Duchess” has been available on DVD and Blu-Ray for a few months.

To recap the big winners - “WALL-E,” “The Dark Knight,” “Man on Wire,” “The Duchess,” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” are all at your local video store. “Milk” will be released on 3/10/09. We’re waiting on release dates for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Reader,” and “Slumdog Millionaire”.

As for nominees on DVD and Blu-Ray, you can also check out “The Visitor,” “Changeling,” “Frozen River,” “Tropic Thunder,” “In Bruges,” “Kung Fu Panda,” “Encounters at the End of the World,” “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” “Iron Man,” and “Wanted” today if you want.

As for upcoming nominees, “Australia” comes home on March 3rd, 2009, “Rachel Getting Married” and “Happy-Go-Lucky” will be released with “Milk” on March 10th, 2009 (call it “Oscar DVD Day”), “Bolt” will be in stores on March 22nd, 2009, “Doubt” will hit stores on April 7th, 2009, and “Frost/Nixon” comes out on April 21st, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com