Yes we’re a few days early but that’s so that you can get a heads up on what to buy for next week on the most romantic day of the year… Valentine’s Day! V-Day is just around the corner folks and for those of you who don’t see it as another way for Clinton’s to make some money (I am a proper romantic right here), the Blu-ray Disc Association have created this top 10 list of Blu-rays that you should buy or watch for / with your loved ones this Valentine’s Day!

All of these are now available to buy on Blu-ray and I’ve provided links for you on each page. So without further ado, let’s get started!

10) Cleopatra (1963)

• Studio: (20^th Century Fox)
• Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Pamela Brown
• Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
• Buy here

Why not have a glamorous and seductive evening with Cleopatra? Re-mastered in stunning HD so you can see the Egyptian queen (Elizabeth Taylor) like never before, this Blu-ray follows Cleopatra’s triumphs and tragedies with Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. The film was also where Taylor and co-star Richard Burton began their epic, off-screen romance.

The Adventures of Tintin – Blu-Ray – £22.99 – Play.com

Back in the nineties, this was one of the most popular animated television shows that dominated many television sets alongside Batman: The Animated Series and The Simpsons. The appeal of a young reporter going on adventures around the world with his companions Snowy the dog and Captain Haddock (as well as many other characters) brought a new generation of audiences and even made the comics popular again.

This particular set was only released last year alongside the release of Steven Spielberg’s big screen adaptation. Complete with all three seasons and every episode of the series, it has been given a nice transfer to the DVD and Blu-Ray sets. Some people may be a bit disappointed with the amount of special features on offer, we are treated to a great set at a great price nonetheless.

If you liked the film, enjoyed the comics or new to Tintin, this is a great television series that children and grown-ups will enjoy equally.

Source: http://www.play.com/DVD/Blu-ray/4-/20613811/The-Adventures-Of-Tintin/Product.html?searchtype=allproducts&searchsource=0&searchstring=tintin&urlrefer=search

Hulk Nightmerica, Sable & Fortune, Uncle Sam and Un-Men – Complete Comic Sets – £2.99 to £9.99 – Megacitycomics.co.uk

Originally, I was only going to cover the Hulk Nightmerica complete set from Mega City Comic’s website. But as the page on their deals were full of different collections anyway, why not mention the other comic books.

Hulk Nightmerica is a miniseries that follows Bruce Banner as he tries to find a number of survivors from the Wright-Armstrong super soldier experiments that gave Captain America his super strength on a cross-country journey. At just £4.99, this is good value for those looking for some new Marvel stories.

Sable and Fortune follows Silver Sable, the world’s greatest mercenary as she hunts down the traitor from her Wild Pack gang at £3.99.

DC’s Uncle Sam series from Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti sees the iconic patriot leading a group of American superheroes in this eight issue mini series.  For just £9.99.

These issues of the Un-Men, written by John Whalen, feature former Swamp Thing adversaries must solve a brand new crime in a gritty noir tale with grindhouse horror and humor to tell an unusual comic book story for £2.99.

Source: http://www.megacitycomics.co.uk/acatalog/COMPLETE_SETS_BLOWOUT_.html

Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition – 3DS – £14.95 – Zavvi.com

Many people will be aware of this, but this was one of the launch titles for the 3DS last year in March and I want to mention this title and offer as the handheld console sold well over the Christmas holidays and might be interesting for those looking for a good fighting game to play.

Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition has the same features and similar control system to the home console versions, but with some nice additions. Besides the 3D (which is not as good as it could have been), there is the option to play the game in a different viewpoint to bring out the most of the three dimensional effect. You can also collect trophies using StreetPass and battle opponents locally or online that is as good as the Play Station 3 and X-Box 360 versions.

With Tekken 3D: Prime Edition and Street Fighter X Tekken coming out soon, this is great time to purchase this great fighting game that is worth playing on Nintendo’s console.

Source: http://www.zavvi.com/10292316.html

[The following review features a number of spoilers]

Rolling Thunder is the story of Major Charles Ranes (William Devane), a Vietnam vet who returns from years of imprisonment and torture in a Vietcong POW camp to his home in Texas. He and his prison mate Johnny (Tommy Lee Jones) are greeted at the airport with a heroes welcome and Charles is given a brand new Cadillac and a suitcase of silver dollars in honour of his return. Charles is not the same man who went to war though and even comments that when in prison they referred to the time before imprisonment as when they were alive; the implication that he is now dead rings true in the cold performance by William Devane and the hollow and dark life that the character now lives.

Charles’ wife has moved on and is planning to divorce him and remarry, and his son cannot connect with this stranger that he cannot even remember. Charles seems unaffected by this though, as when his wife tells him she has been with another man he just sits and listens. Haunted by the memories of the torture he received at the POW camp, shown in abruptly cut black and white flashbacks, Charles is clearly suffering from post traumatic stress and has retreated inward, appearing almost dead inside.

When a gang invades his home demanding to know where the silver dollars are he refuses to tell them , leading to them putting his hand into a garbage disposal in a effort to make him talk. Charles has been tortured before though, previously disturbingly commenting to his wife’s new lover that the only way to beat the torture is to “learn to love the rope”. When the gang fail to make him talk they shoot him, his wife and his son. Charles alone recovers and refuses to tell the cops who killed his wife and son and robbed him of his hand. Instead when he recovers he embarks on a journey of revenge with a shotgun in one hand and his other replaced with a hook.

He forms a new relationship with Linda (Linda Haynes) who claims to be his groupie, a worn out blonde bar maid who is reluctant to get caught up in Charles’ revenge mission but goes along regardless. She comments at one point, “Why do I always end up with crazy men?” to which Charles replies, “‘Cause that’s the only kind that’s left.” Charles’ view of post-Vietnam America does not have much good in it, America is bleak and morally bankrupt. The pair head South to Mexico in order to find the gang, ending up near the home of Johnny who Charles eventually enlists to help him. Johnny is also living a hollow existence with his family who ramble on whilst Johnny sits coldly waiting, alert and like Charles, armed.

When Charles arrives at the house to pick up Johnny to help in the final showdown that provides a thrilling if disturbing climax to the film, Johnny is not surprised, he does not ask questions, he just puts on his uniform, grabs a shotgun and follows orders. Jonny is conditioned for war, in his mind he is still at war, he has not returned to life, he remains the walking dead. When in the whorehouse in the climactic scene and pulling out his shotgun, a prostitute asks him “What the fuck are you doing?” and he just replies simply “I’m gonna kill a bunch of people.” This is exactly what Charles and Johnny do, exacting vengeance upon those that mistreated Charles and in the process releasing through cathartic violence the rage bottled up inside them.

With clear mirrors to Taxi Driver in the dead inside, revenge motivated male protagonist, the explosively violent finale and the doomed romantic relationship, Paul Schrader (who wrote the film’s first draft) is revisiting similar material but the two films are also markedly different. One distinct difference is in the focus on back story; it is hinted that Travis Bickle was in Vietnam and he clearly had a troubled past but, unlike Taxi Driver, Rolling Thunder dedicates almost half the film to exploring the main character’s past and the adjustments he has to make to an old life that is no longer relevant. The audience of Rolling Thunder also gets a chance to understand Charles in a different way to how an audience relates to Travis. In Taxi Driver, Scorsese directs with an excess of style, and the addition of a sweeping Bernard Hermann score. John Flynn’s direction on Rolling Thunder, however, is economical, gritty and follows in the tradition of directors such as Sam Fuller and Sam Peckinpah with a hard, violent and grimy aesthetic and a genuine and authentic approach to storytelling.

Rolling Thunder is often thought of as a exploitation picture, a 70s violent B movie and a nasty revenge piece. It can indeed be viewed in this way but it is also something much more interesting. Rolling Thunder says so much about the ‘Vietnam Syndrome’, about the failure of Vietnam vets to reconnect to the life that has moved on without them and it is also a brutal story of two men who no longer feel alive, exacting revenge for the suffering they have felt. A perfect embodiment of the 70s despair following the optimism of the 60s and a fascinating focus on the struggle of many to move past this dark post-Vietnam period.

Rolling Thunder has been somewhat difficult to see since its release with out-of-print VHS copies and quickly deleted DVDs making it something of a rarity. To have the film now widely available seems like some kind of miracle and to see the film in such good condition in this HD transfer makes it all the special. The brilliance of Jordan Cronenweth’s extremely low light cinematography, something he would go on to use to further great effect in Blade Runner, looks superb, with inky black shadows consuming many of the frames.

The Blu-ray also includes a commentary from co-writer Heywood Gould which is anecdotal but interesting, an interview with star Linda Haynes, the Trailers From Hell commentary from Eli Roth and a TV Spot for the film.

Film ****½ (4.5/5)

Blu-ray ****~ (4/5)

Rolling Thunder is available to rent or buy from the 30th of January.

If you’re a fan of the Blu-Ray format, then you’re going to love this. And if you’re not, I thoroughly recommend converting now. It seems that Play.com are in the business of brightening up our Friday afternoon! They currently have a sale on a number of last year’s biggest blockbusters on Blu-Ray, headed up by X-Men: First Class on Triple Play (which includes the Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital Copy) for just a meagre £5.99!

As you can imagine, I added to cart as soon as I saw it. They’ve also got a great selection of other Blu-Rays, including Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Triple Play), Captain America: The First Avenger (Triple Play), Cowboys & Aliens (Triple Play), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Triple Play), each for £9.99, as well as Green Lantern (Single Blu-Ray) for £5.99.

If you missed any of last year’s biggest blockbusters, or if you’re itching to see any of them again, now is clearly the time to do it! I’d recommend being quick though, because these might not last for long.

X-Men fans might also like to know that Play have the Blu-Ray Quadrilogy for only £7.99 at the moment, which is the cheapest price I can remember it ever being, so you can complete your collection from scratch on Blu-Ray for only £14. Absolute steal!

With thanks to the users ‘junk4’ and ‘Sayishere’ over at hotukdeals for the heads up. Very much appreciated. If you take advantage of any of these offers too, let us know which ones you picked in the comments below! I’ve gone for First Class and Cowboys & Aliens, and can’t wait to watch them both again.

Calling all Trekkies – Star Trek: The Next Generation® – The Next Level, from Paramount Home Entertainment and CBS Home Entertainment, will be beaming up on a single Blu-ray disc on 30th January 2012 to give fans a taste of the iconic series to be released in HD later this year and we have three copies of the disc here to give away today on HeyUGuys.

One of the most popular series in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: The Next Generation® celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2012. It premiered in first-run syndication during the week of September 28, 1987 and ran through 1994.

The disc will take fans aboard the Starship Enterprise with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew and includes the feature-length pilot – “Encounter at Farpoint” – as well as two more “fan favourite ” episodes, “The Inner Light” (Season 5) and “Sins of the Father” (Season 3)..

All 178 episodes from seven seasons will be transferred to true high-definition 1080p for release over the next two years on Blu-ray and this is the perfect tease.

Click Next below to see a restored still from the Blu-ray and for the chance to win a copy of the disc.

With so many deals available online we’ve taken the liberty of picking through the bargain bin and pulling out the choicest offers we could find.

This week we have an excellent sci-fi film, a famous graphic novel and the latest outing for one of the most popular gaming characters out there.

If there’s a deal you think our readers should know about then please do let us know.

Attack The Block – Blu-Ray – £10.49 – HMV

What was probably the biggest cult hit of 2011, Attack the Block was the directorial debut of Joe Cornish (who was also one of the writers on The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) and even though audience members really liked the film, it unfortunately was not as successful at the box office in the UK and overseas.

Set in a London council estate, a local street gang (who are all newcomers and first time actors) must defend themselves against a monstrous alien invasion. Joining forces with local drug dealer Ron (Nick Frost) and new resident Sam (Jodie Whittaker), the unlikely team must use their knowledge of the streets to fight off the aliens.

With the film available to Blu-Ray and DVD, there is no better time to buy this film and as it is priced at just under eleven pounds on the HMV website, this is worth every penny. Included in this particular Blu-Ray is a copy of the film on DVD as well and a bunch of bonus features, including commentary and a collection of behind-the-scenes footage. Here’s our review.

Click here for the link to buy the Blu.

Batman Arkham Asylum (15^th Anniversary Edition) – Graphic Novel – £7.99 – Forbidden Planet

Arkham City was one of the biggest and most successful sequels of the last few years and it’s great to see it’s popularity soaring, with sales and downloadable content still doing well and NetherRealm Studios making the spin-off IOS game Arkham City Lockdown. But what many people may not be aware of is that the original game was loosely based on a graphic novel starring The Dark Knight written by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, with McKean doing the artwork.

After the patients of Arkham Asylum have escaped their cells, took the staff hostage and taken over the facility, Batman is forced to enter and put a stop to the chaos that Joker has led. With Dave McKean behind the artwork, the book is absolutely gorgeous to look at, making each villain extremely dark, offering us beutifuly twisted characters and making Batman’s journey through the iconic psychiatric hospital deeply memorable.

Now that the graphic novel has enjoyed its fair share of new readers thanks to the two Batman games, the book is now available in a 15^th Anniversary Edition by Titan Books that includes samples on the development of the book, the complete script and more nice additions. Even if you have never read a Batman book and really liked one of the many adaptations, this is a great place to start!

Here’s the link to Buy the Graphic Novel

Rayman Origins – Play Station 3, X-Box 360 and Nintendo Wii – £17.98 to £19.98 – GAME

Retailers are still on their new year sales and it is no surprise to see that gamers can still buy one of the many Christmas releases at a cheap price. But what was probably the most crazy and weird games to be released was Rayman Origins, a game that was not the biggest selling games of 2011 as it’s price at most shops and websites were cut in half a few weeks after it’s release date.

The premise starts with Rayman, Globox, Grand Minimus and Goth Caster are sleeping and are snoring very noisily. In fact, there snoring is so noisy that it disturbs an old woman who commands her monstrous creatures to create chaos around the world. Rayman and his friends must set everything right through detailed and beautifully animated lands that makes the game feel like an interactive cartoon that you can play either by yourself or with a second player.

With Ubisoft finally putting Rayman back into his platforming roots, it’s a wonderful treat for those who loved the original game and a great introduction for newcomers.

At just under eighteen pounds for the Wii and at just around twenty pounds for the Play Station 3 and X-Box 360, this is a very good price for a game that oozes so much colour, creativity and fun out of it’s brilliant level designs.

Click Here for the Deal.

We’re big fans of Bond, James Bond here at HeyUGuys and the announcement at CES2012 this evening from MGM and 20th Century Fox is a welcome one indeed. The entire collection of Bond films are heading to Blu-ray with a special Bond50 collection.

All twenty-two films are being given a HD polish, with nine films making their debut in high-definition and we are being promised some exclusive bonus content yet to be detailed. All you need is Alan Partridge doing the commentary tracks and it’ll be the ultimate collection.

Click here to pre-order your copy before it arrives October 1st 2012.

Here’s the launch trailer, crank it up all the way to 1080p and enjoy.

And don’t go anywhere without watching the animated packshot!

Here’s the box set picture which can be clicked to make it enormous.

The man is a familiar presence on the good ship BBC, chairing and appearing on numerous panel shows as well as taking the stage at the Apollo and heading up his own prime time show looking at the eccentricities of the British people, and yet John Bishop’s overnight success took the best part of a decade.

That he has arrived now and thrust himself casually and cheekily into the heart of the nation is testament to his easy-going manner, observational humour and the glint in his eye that, even on stage in front of hundreds of people, he can’t quiet believe that he’s achieved the success he has. The roots of his comedy can be traced back to the working mens clubs but his stage persona and the self deprecating tone of his comedy make it easy for audiences to laugh along, rather than at, the targets of his jokes (which usually is him).

Given the ubiquitous nature of the man on our screens it’s sensible that these new Blu-rays showcase Bishop at his most creative and where he is at his best – on stage.

The Collection is composed of recordings of two of Bishop’s stand-ups shows, this year’s Sunshine tour and 2010′s Elvis has Left the Building event, and if you’ve not seen the man in action then this is the right arena and these two Blu-rays are sure to go down well with fans. Despite some criticism for being considered a ‘safe’ comic rather than Frankie Boyle’s acerbic rants (though I think most comedians are safer than Boyle) there’s a nice flow to Bishop’s comedy and the Sunshine Blu-ray is the superior disc here, recorded on the final night in his home town of Liverpool, and there’s an inclusive nature to his comedy which builds well over the course of the evening.

The Elvis has left the Building set is more familiar with tales of football and families while the Sunshine tour has Bishop on more vitriolic form, using the crazy year of the 2010 tour as the basis for many of the jokes early on. In case you wanted to stick this on after Christmas lunch for the family there’s a fair amount of swearing but nothing which oversteps, or even approaches, the confines of bad taste. My own taste in stand up comedy is closer to that of Bill Hicks and George Carlin (and the dizzy heights of Woody Allen’s work in the 60s) and the aforementioned ubiquity of John Bishop on the TV does mean you may have heard some of the material before but if you’re a fan then you this is the perfect Christmas present for his fans.

***½~ (3.5/5)

Extras

Both discs come with a few decent additions with the man himself offering up video diaries of his tours, appalling hotel wallpaper and the genera ennui of a sub-glamourous lifestyle, as well as short behind the scenes moments from the shows themselves. The Elvis disc has Bishop at an Elvis convention and Sunshine has the fake adverts used in between acts on the tour. If you’re a fan then you’ll love this and it points to Bishop positioning himself as an all-round presenter rather than a comedian, a role we’re sure to see him move into over the next year or so.

Supplied by BBCShop.com

]]> http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/11/30/john-bishop-stand-up-double-pack-blu-ray-review/feed/ 0 http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/11/28/guilty-of-romance-blu-ray-review/ http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/11/28/guilty-of-romance-blu-ray-review/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:00:05 +0000 Craig Skinner http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/?p=117191

The Film

The third in Shion Sono’s thematically linked ‘Hate Trilogy’ (following Love Exposure and Cold Fish), Guilty of Romance centres on a female protagonist, Izumi (Megumi Kagurazaka), who goes on an intense journey of liberation and destruction through sexual transgression.

Izumi’s transformative adventure is set against the backdrop of a criminal investigation into the murder of beautiful woman who has been mutilated, a number of her body parts swapped with those of a doll and others (including her clitoris) removed completely. Sono’s certainly not a master of subtlety but he does know how to explore a fascinating topic in a provocative and compelling manner.

Stifled by her marriage to a popular writer (played with restraint and poise by Kanj Tsuda), and bored with her monotonous and dull day to day life, Izumi gets one part time job handing out sausage samples and another posing for photos. The former leads to exactly the kind of Carry On-esque innuendos that may be flooding your brain and the latter predictably (this is a Sono film after all) turns into a softcore, then ultimately hardcore, porn shoot.

The coercion of Izumi in the photo shoot to gradually reveal more and more skin until she ends up having sex on camera is a very tricky scene but one that is handled well by Sono. It is also a microcosm of the larger themes explored throughout Guilty of Romance, as Izumi gradually ‘finds herself’ through engaging in sexual activities, often seemingly against her will at first, although the nature of her character makes this consent complex, intriguing and very occasionally troubling.

Surrounding Izumi are those that want to exploit her and also those that seemingly want to free her from her repressed and resolutely patriarchal lifestyle. Izumi is almost certainly intended to be emblematic of a wider picture that Sono sees in Japanese society and even perhaps in the Japanese media, both the AV (Adult Video) Idol scene and the more mainstream film industry.

Filled with fascinating thematic strands, Sono’s conclusion to his loose trilogy is bold and brutal, another compelling and dark tale that fulfils the promise of much of his earlier work. With new attention paid to more restraint in the filmmaking this is one of his most satisfyingly constructed films but still yet another thrilling entry in Sono’s increasingly potent body of work.

The Disc

Despite the unique visual aesthetic that Sono’s films often have they are never the best looking films in terms of image quality. So whilst the image on this blu-ray is a little on the flat side and mostly unremarkable it is almost certainly still very true to the original source. The audio is likewise a little on the lo-fi side (by modern standards) but still has a reasonable amount of range and no real issues, in terms of imperfections.

The Blu-ray comes with a commentary from respected author Jasper Sharp, who expertly guides the listener through Sono’s career to date before cutting the commentary short approximately twenty minutes before the end. This seems particularly strange as he doesn’t actually talk at too much length about Guilty of Romance itself. It is a fascinating listen regardless and will be of particular interest to anyone new to Sono’s work.

There is also a 38 minute video interview with Megumi Kagurazaka included on the disc. Interviews with actors and actresses included as extras on DVDs and Blu-rays are often unbearably tedious, generally lots of “so and so was so much fun to work with” etc, but this interview bucks this trend and is both insightful and engaging. Kagurazaka talks at length about working with Sono and how he ”moulded” and “shaped” her for the film. She also goes into detail about the significance of Kafka’s The Castle in the making of the film,

I was told by the director to read Kafka’s novel The Castle, so I was influenced by that image of the castle in that story. It’s something unattainable, out of reach. I just held onto that feeling.

The interviewer admittedly runs out of steam towards the end but generally his questions are thoughtful and probing and he manages to broach the topic of adult photography and filmmaking in a respectful way, leading to some intersting insights from Kagurazaka.

Unfortunately this release only includes the international cut of the film but Eureka are currently planning on releasing a ‘special edition’ later this year, which will include the longer domestic cut.

Guilty of Romance is available to buy or rent on Blu-ray and DVD now.

There are few films which have seeped into the public consciousness over the years more than Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.

It’s a staple of the Christmas season, at least across the pond where it is perhaps better suited to the idea of the American Dream while we here in the UK have the spiteful miser Ebenezer Scrooge as our seasonal ambassador. It remains a wonderful moving and uncynical experience, one which has often been imitated (Nicolas Cage’s The Family Man is one recent, less than successful example) but never bettered.

In fact you’d do well to run this as a double bill with Gremlins, whose home town of Kingston Falls is a loving geographical echo of the home of George Bailey. Also it’s Dave Lister’s favourite film and who are we to argue?

Ostensibly the film is about the moment one Christmas Even when George Bailey, a much loved everyman, stands on the verge of financial and personal ruin. His business is on the verge of collapse, hounded by a rich business rival best described as a cantankerous carpetbagger and his usual good humour turned sour and then to anger which he unleashes on his family. So we find George about to leap off of a bridge at the edge of his beloved Bedford Falls reasoning that his life insurance will do some good when he is gone. Only then, when George is at his most vulnerable does Clarence descend from the heavens (he’s an angel of course) and set his suicidal chum right.

Just as Scrooge is shown the perils of his future if he does not deviate from his current path our man Bailey is shown what life would be like if he had no path in the first place. Not only did his brother not survive the childhood accident of falling through an ice covered lake (as George was not there to pull him out) but his wife never married and frankly everyone seems a lot more sullen and the town of Bedford Falls is far from the idyll he left behind.. What I like most about Clarence’s intervention is that George is allow to walk in the world and talk to his friends (who have never met him) and his wife (who has glasses and the requisite spinsters attire, and runs screaming from him, as she too has never met him). Appearing to add insult to injury Clarence proves his point until he returns George to his own reality and to his happy home and the welcome embrace of his townsfolk.

I defy anyone with a heart to remain  unstirred by the end scene. It’s impossible. It gets me every damn time, at the moment James Stewart gives a pantomime wink to the heavens and proclaims Attaboy Clarence’.

There is a reason this film has endured down the generations and it is a relatively simple notion. Life is hard, and things don’t always go your way; the regret of your life may not be the path you didn’t take but in refusing to see the life you have from an outside perspective. Coming out in 1946 it’s a far harsher film than you might expect, but there’s a level of theatricality about the whole affair, a necessary undercurrent of nostalgia which is what made the film so relevant throughout the years.

The Blu-ray transfer is pretty decent, with the third act’s shadowy alternative reality giving a clear examples of the deep blacks and hard edges of the snow-covered buildings. There is a welcome sharpness to the picture which elevates this from its DVD forebear though the extras which accompany this film are limited to a picture in picture comparison (more on this in a minute) and a trivia track. Surely there’s more to the story of It’s a Wonderful Life than this. Though I couldn’t stand more than a couple of scenes of the newly Colourised version of the film (a process that Frank Capra was very keen on) it may find favour with a few people but I’ve yet to see a colourised version of any film which enhances the experience. Like slapping make-up on a zombie was how I described it last night on Twitter and I remain unconvinced of its use.

That said it is the film which sells this Blu-ray, with a dearth of extras and a fine, but unsensational, transfer it is still one I would recommend to everyone. For all its (necessary) world-weary cynicism it remains one of the most uplifting and uncynical films around and it’s hard not to want to invite James Stewart round for Christmas Lunch after seeing this.

****~ (4/5)

The Lion King: The Diamond Edition comes out today on 3D Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray and Disney DVD is a must for any fan of the movie. This version is packed to the rafters with new special features, all of which are listed below. You can order your copy of the movie here.  If you missed our interview with Robert Neuman, have a read here.

Featuring fantastic pristine high definition picture and sound enhancements, interactive features and lots of amazing bonus content, the stunning Disney Blu-ray™ creates an incredible at home experience with a wide range of extra content including hilarious bloopers, outtakes, an interactive Blu-ray gallery and Audio Commentary by the Co-Directors. You can also enjoy Backstage Disney: Diamond Edition that includes The Pride of the Lion King, Deleted & Alternate Scenes, Timon & Pumbaa’s Insectapedia and Timon & Pumbaa’s Vacation Safari plus much more.

Disney have given us one to share with you which focuses on the legendary James Earl Jones who plays Mufasa in the movie and how his voice is so perfect for that role.

DVD

• The Lion King: A Memoir – Don Hahn
• The Lion King is Disney’s best-selling soundtrack. It received Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (10x platinum). Only four other soundtracks in history have been certified Diamond. A new compilation of music, Best of The Lion King, is currently the #3 soundtrack on iTunes in the US.
• The Lion King has won 2 Academy Awards®, 3 Golden Globes®, 6 Tony Awards® and 3 Grammys®, among other accolades, including over 70 major theatrical honors worldwide.
• The London production of the hugely popular stage show recently celebrated its 5000th performance on September 13.
• The stage show has been seen by more than 60 million people worldwide, grossing over $4.6 billion in 18 productions across 14 countries, spanning 5 continents and 8 languages.
• Current productions include Broadway, North American Tour, Las Vegas, London, Hamburg, Tokyo and Singapore.

Blu-ray

• Bloopers & Outtakes
• Interactive Blu-ray Gallery
• Audio Commentary By Co-Directors Roger Allers And Rob Minkoff And Producer Don Hahn (Original Version) (pulled from existing release)
• Backstage Disney: Diamond Edition (header)
• Pride Of The Lion King
• The Lion King: A Memoir – Don Hahn
• Deleted & Alternate Scenes With Introductions by Roger Allers & Rob Minkoff
• Music & More (header)

3D Blu-ray

• Don Hahn Intro (in 2D) (not listed on menus)

The first entirely Claymation feature film, The Adventures of Mark Twain is a a rather stunning technical achievement from Will Vinton Productions and one that is unfortunately rather under-seen. Even if this wasn’t such a wonderfully entertaining and rather charming film this situation would be lamentable due to the film’s historical significance as a remarkable achievement in animation.

When Vinton remarks on the commentary on this disc that this was the first 100% Claymation feature film he is not exaggerating either, everything here is made from plasticine, from the characters and objects to the painted backdrops and even the water that seems to flow and ripple in certain scenes. The effect that this achieves is one that feels very much like an elaborate magic trick. With everything in the world modelled in plasticine., what at first seems like a distancing aesthetic begins to seem more and more natural as the film goes on. As a result the Claymation is not ultimately something that keeps you at arm’s length from engaging with the film but oddly immerses you even more in this strange and absorbing world.

That the world in question is one that is mostly created by Mark Twain does not hurt proceedings either and Vinton draws on all of the rich and varied creations available to him. Whilst The Adventures of Mark Twain is a fictionalised story about the character of Mark Twain (voiced by James Whitmore), peppered with a few actual facts, there are excursions throughout the film into vignettes that re-tell a number of Twain’s stories. Stories re-told include The Diaries of Adam and Eve, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and the rather disturbing The Mysterious Stranger. The wider story of the film is concerned with Mark Twain travelling on an airship to re-connect with Halley’s Comet. The comet visited earth at the same time as he was born and he believes that he will die when the comet returns. Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher (all fictional creations of the real Twain) are stowaways on this journey and they provide the audience for Twain to recount his stories to, also often stepping inside the stories.

This reasonably complex plotting is told with satisfying simplicity by Vinton and co. and the film works well as a children’s film, although it is perhaps a little dark and adult at times for younger children. The film plays well to an adult audience too and should not be assumed to be simply ‘something for kids’. The Adventures of Mark Twain is actually a little hard to classify with regards to an audience, slightly too childish in places to satisfy some adults but too upsetting at times for some children. This could well account for its disappointing returns at the box office on release. Thankfully this hasn’t buried the film completely and this new Blu-ray release is a fantastic opportunity to re-engage with this wonderful film or to experience it for the first time.

The new HD transfer presented here is superb and the print used was clearly one of very high quality. There are a few tell-tale signs of print damage and some sparkle in places but these issues are very minor. For the most part this transfer is spot on with a fine layer of grain throughout, a balanced and detailed picture and colours that look exceptionally vibrant and fresh. The new special features on the disc are varied and include a very informative commentary from Will Vinton, 54 minutes of interviews with those involved in the film, 7 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage and a 17 minute documentary on Claymation. This documentary on Claymation is a real highlight and despite being a little on the short side it provides a wonderful introduction and overview of the work that Will Vinton and his collaborators have done.

Film ****~ (4/5)

Blu-ray ***** (5/5)

 The Adventures of Mark Twain is available to buy or rent on Blu-ray and DVD now.

There is possibly a syntactical issue with the above title but this is a John Carpenter film and therefore bears his mark. As with most of Carpenter’s previous films his name is front and centre to ensure audiences know what to expect and to get excited about this being the next John Carpenter flick.

The problem with this ‘brand’ confidence though is that the last John Carpenter feature film was Ghosts of Mars in 2001 and this met with poor reviews and took only around half the film’s production budget in worldwide grosses. So, is this Carpenter’s comeback? Well perhaps not quite a triumphant comeback but The Ward is an enjoyable and well crafted horror film that does a lot to take away the bad taste left in one’s mouth by Ghosts of Mars.

The film begins with the torching of a house by the film’s lead character Kristen (Amber Heard) who is then quickly thrown into a mental hospital. The film is set in America in the 60s so the mental hospital is strict and more like a prison than a caring place for mental healing. Run by Dr. Stringer (Jared Harris) the hospital has a special ward populated by a handful of young women and this is where our lead is immediately thrown into.

Stringer seems to be focused on some sort of unique ‘cure’ with this ward and the young women are kept separate from the rest of the hospital. As Kristen gets to know the group she begins to uncover a secret at the heart of the ward and along the way the women begin disappearing.

The film is a pacey and taut 88 minutes and Carpenter does an excellent job of filling the film with a variety of effective, suspenseful scares, aided by effects work from Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero. The setting of a mental hospital provides a great location for a horror film and Carpenter plays on this with the use of the claustrophobia inherent and also the various means with which the characters can be tortured.

Particularly gruesome is the electroshock therapy that provides the opportunity for more than one toe-curling sequence. Carpenter is also reliable when it comes to effective jump scares, never falling into the current trend of a loud moment in the score followed by nothing remotely scary. Carpenter follows through on his jump scares. That’s not to say that the score isn’t aggressively invasive at times and it unfortunately lets the film down in a lot of scenes.

Carpenter’s expert crafting is obvious in The Ward though and for the most part it is an entirely rewarding experience, an entertaining story told with skill. Whilst the score occasionally has a negative impact and the performances are a little uneven the positives far outweigh these minor issues.

Originally scheduled for release earlier this year, the UK home entertainment release of The Ward was pulled once it was discovered that the aspect ratio was incorrect. This has been corrected, restoring Carpenter’s considered compositions, and the transfer on this Blu-ray is fantastic and a good representation of the film I saw theatrically earlier this year.

The Blu-ray special features are comprised of three interview segments with John Carpenter, ‘the cast’ and the producers and production designers. The Carpenter segment is the most underwhelming as it is only three minutes long and as someone who has supplied some of the best commentaries (see The Thing and They Live for instance) it’s disappointing not to hear much more from him. The remainder of the interviews are of similar length, per person, and are a little light on any depth but do provide a reasonably insight into the atmosphere on set.

John Carpenter’s The Ward is available to buy or rent on Blu-ray from the 17th of October.

Film ***½~ (3.5/5)

Blu-ray ***~~ (3/5)

Showcasing an inspirational journey from humble go-kart racer to much-loved global superstar, the amazing life story of a Formula 1 legend, SENNA , is released on Triple Play Blu-ray and DVD from 10 October.  Order your copy here.

Britain’s biggest documentary of all time and featuring never-seen-before home videos and archive footage of Senna in his younger years, this incredible release gives viewers a greater understanding into this fascinating man behind the wheel.

Experience every high and low of the tumultuous, dramatic and awesome racing career of a legendary sportsman who was in turn spiritual, fiercely patriotic, gentle in private and intensely competitive on the race track.

WATCH THE TRAILER

To celebrate the release, we’re giving you the chance to drive a Nissan GT-R  around the Silverstone race-track, courtesy of Virgin Experience Days. Find out more here.

To be in with a chance of winning, just answer the following question in the form below…

Which of the following was SENNA’s biggest Formula 1 driving rival?

a. David Gest
b. David Frost
c. Alain Prost

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 17th October at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

Specific competition T&Cs:

•  Minimum age: 21
•  Maximum age: 70
•  Minimum height: 5’ 2”
•  Maximum height: 6’ 4”
•  Maximum weight: 16 stone
•  Participants need to be aged 21 years or over and have held a full driving licence for at least 3 years, kindly note your licence must be presented on the day
•  This experience is available on selected weekdays and limited weekends throughout the year. Weekend dates are very popular and therefore cannot be guaranteed
•  Spectators are welcome. There is a café and viewing area on site. Children are welcome but must be supervised at all times. No animals (other than pre-confirmed assistance dogs) are allowed on site
•  The experience content, equipment used and restrictions may vary. Please check with the venue when booking

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

© 2010 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Well this is some fabulous news and I need to start calling in all favours at Paramount to see if I can get me a copy when this little puppy comes out but the official website has just announced that one of the best TV series of all time (that would be Star Trek the Next Generation!) will be remastered and re-released on Blu-ray with 7.1 DTS Master Audio. The first three episodes to get the HD treatment and given the title, ‘The Next Level’, will be the pilot episode ‘Encounter at Farpoint’ as well as ‘Sins of the Father’ and ‘The Inner Light called The Next Level’. The Blu-ray will be released in the US (and hopefully coinciding here in the UK) in January 2012 with season 1 being released later in the year.

The news comes from StarTrek.com who also have a great little video getting us all excited which I’ve embedded below. I have so many fond memories of watching Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise from the series. Other than the odd re-run, I’ve never caught the entire series in order ever since I first saw the 178 episodes on Sky One. Sounds like next year may be a good time to go through the lot again!

More info as we get it.

Dario Argento’s second film, following his impressive debut with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, is the somewhat formulaic Cat O’ Nine Tails, a film that Argento himself does not really care for. Argento claims in an interview included on this release that the film is “… too much like an American film” and it is very easy to see where he is coming from. Few elements in the film bring to mind Argento’s unique style and more often than not the film makes one think of generic hard boiled American 70s cop films rather than 70s Gialli. It is not entirely flawed though and there is still a lot to appreciate and enjoy across the film’s almost two hour runtime.

Cat O’ Nine Tails stars the veteran American actor Karl Malden as a blind former journalist and James Franciscus as a younger journalist. Together the two become embroiled in a mystery involving murder and espionage that really is quite horribly convoluted and unnecessarily complicated considering the somewhat lacklustre finale that wraps up the narrative. Argento’s love of Hitchcock is very present in Cat O’ Nine Tails and in the mystery/thriller plotting one is reminded where Argento’s strengths too often lie, not in the narrative.

Effective Hitchcockian suspense scenes dominate the film though and these are some of the film’s greatest moments, a scene with contaminated milk, a barber’s close shave and a car chase provide the most thrilling situations. The car chase in particular is nail biting but its reliance on action is something that feels almost out of place in an Argento film, perhaps hinting at that feeling of it being an “American film” that Argento referred to.

Not the weakest Argento by any stretch, there have been some real stinkers in recent years, Cat O’ Nine Tails is still something of a disappointing second film from Argento. Commercial pressures seemed to overwhelm his stylistic flair and the plotting really is overwhelmingly dull but if you’re willing to forgive the flaws and abandon investing too much in the story, there is a lot of enjoyment and visceral pleasures to be found in this sophomore effort.

Reviewing the recent run of Argento releases from Arrow Video has been a trying experience filled with disappointments (and admittedly the occasional pleasant surprise). Too often these releases have been plagued with lousy DNR, colour issues, edge enhancement and an odd blurring that seems to run across all Arrow’s (and Shameless’)  Blu-ray releases. The HD ‘restorations’ have been so hit and miss on these Argento releases that buyer confidence must be pretty low at the moment.

Cat O’ Nine Tails sadly suffers from a few of the aforementioned issues but for the most part it is thankfully okay, with a reasonably consistent layer of grain and apart from some slightly off looking colours the film looks to be in pretty good shape throughout. Certainly not the best the film could look (I’ve yet to check out the US Blue Underground release – they have a far better track record) but Cat O’ Nine Tails represents the better end of the recent UK Argento Blu-rays from Arrow.

The extras are a collection of interviews culled from the large archive that Arrow seem to be drawing on for all their releases. These are visually poor but reasonably interesting and informative. Argento is particularly candid in his interview segment and it’s an extra that is well worth checking out.

Cat O’ Nine Tails is available to buy or rent on Blu-ray from the 26th of September.

Film ***~~ (3/5)

Blu-ray ***~~ (3/5)

A full list of the special features can be found below,

Dario Argento Remembers The Cat O’ Nine Tails

The Cat O’ Nine Tails In Reflection – an interview with long-time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi

Sergio Martino: The Art And Arteries of the Giallo

Four sleeve art options with original and newly commissioned artwork

Two-sided fold out poster

Exclusive collectors’ booklet featuring brand new writing by Alan Jones, author of “Profondo Argento”

Even though George Lucas decided to controversially changes bits of Star Wars yet again for the new release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga, it seems that fans weren’t put off as the box-set becomes the highest selling pre-order catalogue title of all time shifting 1 million units! With it’s 9 discs and 40 hours of extras, this box set has smashed records bringing in $84m, $24 of which came from the US. I guess Lucas gets another big payday which frankly is no surprise as the Star Wars juggernaut continues to earn him mucho cash!

With publicity stunts like turning the BT Tower into a giant lightsaber, how could he fail to capture the attention of Star Wars fans everywhere!

We went nuts for the release and you can see all our posts from the launch here.

Here’s the full press release courtesy of Deadline:

The 13-month campaign to launch the SAGA Blu-ray and engage consumers around the globe began in August 2010. From Darth Vader at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a first look at San Diego Comic Con, a first-of-its-kind partnership with eBay, to creating the world’s largest lightsaber in the UK, the power of the Force continued to resonate around the world as fans came out in droves to have fun with that galaxy far, far away.

“Once again our fan’s enthusiasm to celebrateStars Wars continues to amaze us,” said Kayleen Walters, Senior Director, Marketing, Lucasfilm. “Our goal was to deliver a premium product that they could enjoy with their family and friends and we are thrilled that they are enjoying it as much as we hoped they would.”

“Star Wars is a franchise with universal stories that resonates as much today as it did 30 years ago,” said Mary Daily, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Vincent Marcais, Senior Vice President of International Marketing for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “With the Blu-ray, audiences can go deeper into the mythology than ever before and reconnect with everything they love about the Saga in the best possible quality.”

The comprehensive collection includes the six movies with unparalleled high-definition picture and sound quality, and features numerous deleted, extended and alternate scenes, new documentaries and a cross-section of the countless Star Wars spoofs that have appeared in pop culture over the past three decades. Marking the first time ever that the full Saga is available in one complete collection,STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA on Blu-ray also features a coveted peek into the making of the Saga with vintage documentaries, audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, prop and costume turnarounds, retrospectives and more.

Episodes I-III and IV-VI are also available as distinct Blu-ray Trilogy collections.

A professor heads into the Amazonian jungle to find a lost documentary film crew only to find that they have all been killed by the native population. What remains though are cans of undeveloped film that document the crew’s journey and their ultimate fate. Returning to New York the professor delivers the footage to a TV studio, a studio staffed by ratings hungry producers who intend to broadcast a special based around this footage. What is contained within though, rape, murder, animal slaughter and many other atrocities lead them to question this choice.

One of very few films included on the infamous ‘video nasty’ list that actually deserves the ‘nasty’ label and one of only a few (along with I Spit on Your Grave and a couple of others) that still has a lot of potential to shock and disgust, Cannibal Holocaust makes its way onto UK Blu-ray in an almost uncut state thanks to Shameless Entertainment. Shorn of only 14 seconds, required by the BBFC in order to receive an 18 certificate, the film is included on this Blu-ray release both in this form and in a new edit overseen by director Ruggero Deodato.

The most contentious parts of the film for the BBFC have always been the scenes in which animals are killed, actually killed on camera and the reduction of over 7 minutes of cuts from the BBFC  to only 14 seconds entirely surrounds these scenes of animal slaughter. The BBFC report on this release is pretty fascinating but the section on the animal scenes is particularly interesting,

Although the BBFC recognises that these scenes of animal slaughter may be upsetting or offensive to some viewers, it is clear that the scenes in question depict animals being killed in a quick and clean fashion that is acceptable under BBFC Guidelines and policy and the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937, on which that policy is based. The 2001 decision to cut these scenes was primarily the result of the disgusting and exploitative nature of the sequences, as well as the history of the film as a DPP-listed ‘video nasty’, rather than the result of a strict application of BBFC policy. In spite of any ethical concerns viewers might have about the killing of real animals for film making purposes, removing these sequences would be inconsistent with the BBFC’s decisions to permit quick clean kills in several other films, such as APOCALYPSE NOW. The Guidelines at ’18′ state ‘In line with the consistent findings of the BBFC’s public consultations and The Human Rights Act 1998, at ‘18’ the BBFC’s guideline concerns will not normally override the principle that adults should be free to choose their own entertainment. Exceptions are most likely in the following areas [...] where material or treatment appears to the BBFC to risk harm to individuals or, through their behaviour, to society – for example, any detailed portrayal of violent or dangerous acts, or of illegal drug use, which may cause harm to public health or morals’. It is clear that these scenes are not illegal and are not likely to be harmful to adult viewers. Indeed, the most likely reaction is disgust and revulsion.

So, these scenes get a pass because they are “quick clean kills” plus they “are not illegal and are not likely to be harmful to adult viewers”. It’s an interesting stance and a strange reversal and it’s also an opinion that Deodato himself doesn’t share. His new edit is surprisingly shorter than the version the BBFC have now passed and the cuts that Deodato has made are all to the scenes of animal slaughter, stating that “I would never use animals in those scenes again”. The reality is, of course, that he did but his choice to remove or obscure (with special effects) these scenes adds to a sense of confusion from Deodato about what exactly he was trying to do with the film. Cannibal Holocaust is and always has been a very confused film, both morally and thematically.

Lines such as “I wonder who the real cannibals are” and the grotesque way Deodato presents the documentary crew make quite explicit the idea that Deodato is damning the West and a strain of exploitative documentary filmmaking that was on the rise at the time the film was made (reality TV has, perhaps, made things even worse now) but any attempts at social commentary or an interesting point are undermined by Deodato falling into the same traps, undermining this seemingly direct intention.

The scenes of animal slaughter, the fictionalised and not particularly believable tribes people and the cartoonish approach to the Westerners makes the whole endeavour feel somewhat hypocritical and absurd. Deodato has cited Rossellini as a huge influence on his work but in wading into the realms of gimmicky exploitation rather than the more classical storytelling approach of Rossellini, Deodato ended up drowning in the sleaze and unpleasantness and entirely losing his way.

This new HD transfer from Shameless leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to the image, with excessive brightness, blurring, DNR artifacts and bleeding colours in a number of scenes, but the truth is that this release is far beyond the quality of any previous UK home entertainment release. This certainly doesn’t make this kind of transfer okay but if you’re looking to purchase this disc then it does at least represent an actual upgrade (especially when you consider the near uncut version included). Both cuts are of similar quality and are almost certainly the same transfer re-edited. The English audio track is reasonably decent and clear with few issues. In particular the oddly beautiful and even more oddly appropriate score from Riz Ortolani is represented wonderfully by this new release and it’s hard to stop humming it after the credits, despite the horrible associations.

Extras on the disc are of a poor quality visually but their content mostly makes up for this. The first main special feature is an interview with Deodato and one of the stars of the film, Carl Yorke. This is a reasonably informative extra that bounces back and forth between talking heads with the two and provides a lot of anecdotal information on the shoot and some thoughts from Deodato on his new edit. The second main extra is “The Long Road Back From Hell” which is described as an “in-depth reappraisal by leading critics”. This is over-selling it a little but the feature is rather good and the interviewees have some interesting points to make regarding the film.

A full list of everything included on the Shameless Blu-ray can be found below,

1- CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST
2- CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, 1ST EVER DIRECTOR’S RE-EDIT
x2 Presentations by the director Ruggero Deodato
x2 Exclusive Shameless Programmes:
1- “FILM AND BE DAMNED”: shocking revelations about the film by its participants
2- “THE LONG ROAD BACK FROM HELL”: in-depth reappraisal by leading critics
Theatrical trailer
Shameless trailer park

Cannibal Holocaust is available to buy or rent from the 26th of September.

To celebrate the release of Senna on Triple Play Blu-ray and DVD from 10^th October, we are giving away five copies of this fabulous movie on Triple Play Blu-ray (contains the DVD). You can pre-order the movie here or scroll down for your chance to win.

Senna’s remarkable story, charting his physical and spiritual achievements on the track and off, his quest for perfection, and the mythical status he has since attained, is the subject of SENNA, a documentary feature that spans the racing legend’s years as an F1 driver, from his opening season in 1984 to his untimely death a decade later. Far more than a film for F1 fans, SENNA unfolds a remarkable story in a remarkable manner, eschewing many standard documentary techniques in favour of a more cinematic approach that makes full use of astounding footage, much of which is drawn from F1 archives and previously unseen.

Spanning his years as a Formula One racing driver from 1984 to his untimely death a decade later, SENNA explores the life and work of the triple world champion, his physical and spiritual achievements on the track, his quest for perfection and the mythical status he has since attained.

To be in with a chance of winning this amazing film on Triple-Play Blu-ray, simply answer the following question using the form below:

Who directed the movie, Senna?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• Open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close 10th October at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received
• No cash alternative is available

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

Film © 2011 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved

Photographer © Angelo Orsi

Reviewing this box set when it is out in stores and in all probability snapped up by eager Star Wars fans seems a little unnecessary. The promise of a shiny high def transfer and the long awaited deleted scenes from the Original Trilogy conspire to tempt you to part with your cash once more, to enjoy the long time ago all over again.

But there’s a problem. A wave of negative reaction to some of the changes made by Lucas for this box set became clear a few weeks prior to the release as rumours of some important scenes ruined by needless additions and more handy work by the CG Replacement Bureau. Then video clips were uploaded to confirm the changes and boycotts were threatened and those unhappy with the Special Editions and 2004 DVD ‘improvements’ found new voice and dusted off their VHS copies and chided those who had their pre-orders booked.

So, who’s right? Are the changes too much for those who loved the originals, or is the HD transfer and wealth of extras enough to make the purchase worthwhile? As with many things, both are right, from a certain point of view.

We’ve already looked back over the films this past week in our Video Vault series, so if you’re looking to find out more about Episodes I to VI then click here to read them; there is an assumption that you’re not going in totally blind here. If you’ve never seen the films at all and can spare the cash then this box set is an instant recommendation – just make sure you watch them in the order they were made, don’t be tempted to start your journey to the dark side and out again with The Phantom Menace.

The more pertinent question is perhaps asked of those who already own the DVD set (and probably the VHS copies as well): Do I need to buy this set too?

The HD transfer is most obvious in Episodes IV to VI, and what I found strange were the additions for the 1997 Special Editions and how they showed their age. The advancement of computer technology is so rapid and is  noticeable when some of the visual effects which impressed in the late nineties now look very out of place. The additions to Mos Eisley are not as polished as the 1977 footage, with some very messy compositing of the newer elements over the old and some problems with the focus in certain shots. It surprised me as the original footage looks incredibly sharp for the most part, occasionally there is a very muddy shot in between the crystal clear original footage which itself isn’t completely free from problems.

Looking on the positive side there are moments when I saw things I had never seen before, and I’ve watched these films a lot. In truth I’ve never seen the sparks that fly off the colliding lightsabers in the duel between Vader and Kenobi. At first it looks a little like CGI sweat and it may have always been in there but this was new to me. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s new scream to scare off the Sandpeople is a strange addition to those of us who have known the original but isn’t a huge offence overall. It was a genuine thrill to see the detail and the dirt of the first film in particular, not least in contrast to the clinical green-screenery of the prequels; the forests on the moon of Endor look lush and verdant and the ice planet of Hoth is so sharp you could shave a Wookie with it. The occasional transfer quirks aside this is the most beautiful version of the films we’ve seen and when I first saw the discs at the Big Screen event I was sold.

The additions will irk some, and infuriate others. I’m sure a lot of people may not even notice the newly CGI Yoda in The Phantom Menace or question Vader’s new, and controversial, cry of ‘Noooooooo.’ just before he saves Luke from the Emperor’s final attack, but you’ll know which applies to you. In all honesty the films remain some of the most exciting science fiction films we have and they have never looked better. I’d question the need to buy this new set if you already have the DVDs and aren’t too fussed about the HD, but as we’ll see there is a reason to keep your old copies around even if you do.

The menu system on the main discs are simple and won’t blow your mind but they are a vast improvement over those found on the three discs of extras which invite you to select a film, then a location (Tattooine, Hoth, Bespin etc) and then to select a category (interviews, deleted scenes etc) and then a further click to play them. It’s not fun to navigate this menu every time you want to see a particular special feature. The interviews to introduce each film’s extras are short and drawn from cast and crew and are a nice addition. The deleted scenes are a lot of fun, with the early scenes of Luke and Biggs on Tattooine being the most substantial. The scene with Han and a female companion in the Cantina is here, as is an extended scene in the land speeder with Luke and C3PO searching for R2D2 and while most of these have been seen before on various multimedia releases it’s good to have them all in one place.

What I alluded to earlier about keeping the DVDs handy is one of the more puzzling elements of this collection as the deleted scenes for the Prequel Trilogy do not include those found on the DVD releases. This is a strange omission and a real shame, nice though it is to see a brief cameo by Dominic West as a Naboo guard pushing over a defeated Battle Droid there were some substantial scenes excised from the original cut that would have fitted alongside the new scenes perfectly. Maybe there’s a definitive box set coming our way – maybe when the 3D version are put out…

When I was a kid the only way you could have Star Wars in your own home was as part of the documentaries made and televised at the time of release of the Original Trilogy films. These are included on the final disc of extras and proved a highlight for me as I was hit by a wave of nostalgia. Also included, and perhaps the most intriguing extra, on the disc was The Masters – a discussion of the making of The Empire Strikes Back with the late Irvin Kershner proving a wonderful guide through the difficult second movie.

So in the end I was won over by the new transfer and the decent, if limited, set of extras. If you have the DVDs and are annoyed at the constant tinkering by Lucas then be warned – this won’t light your saber. If you’re a fan and want to see Star Wars in the best way possible then the choice is clear. The galaxy far, far away has never looked better.