Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - (Page 17) www.homemediamagazine.com REVIEWS BLU-RAY SPOTLIGHT I WALL-E Disney, Animated, B.O. $223.8 million, $29.99 DVD, $39.99 three-DVD set, $35.99 two-disc Blu-ray set, $40.99 three-disc Blu-ray set, ‘G’. Voices of Jeff Garlin, Elissa Knight, Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Fred Willard. I FIREFLY: THE COMPLETE SERIES Fox, Sci-Fi, $89.98 three-disc Blu-ray set, NR. Stars Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass. “ irefly” was a great show that was never quite given a chance on network TV. Only 11 of the 14 produced episodes even aired in the original run, and if that weren’t bad enough, they were shown out of order. That oversight was corrected on the DVD release a few years ago, and this BD version offers a few more tidbits for fans. There hasn’t been such a unique blend of sci-fi and Western storytelling done quite like this series, which was created by Joss Whedon of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fame. The 1080p high-definition picture quality (in 1.78:1 aspect ratio) is clear and blemishfree. The one issue that’s evident throughout the series, but extremely obvious in the pilot episode, is the low-resolution CGI effects. HD exposes this flaw more than the standard-DVD version. Fox also has F upgraded the sound quality for BD from Dolby Surround to DTS HD Master Audio. The new lossless track really brings the effects to life. Fox has taken the original bonus materials from the DVD and added two extras exclusive to this BD collection. “Firefly Reunion: Lunch with Joss, Nathan, Alan and Ron” is a 24-minute walk down memory lane with Whedon, Fillion, Tudyk and Glass set up over lunch on a Hollywood soundstage. This conversation explores episodes that don’t already have commentary tracks. The second exclusive feature is a new commentary for the episode “Our Mrs. Reynolds,” bringing the total episodes covered by audio commentary to eight. Whedon, as usual, provides entertaining insights. Thanks to the picture and sound upgrade, “Firefly” is worth the price of admission for anyone who didn’t purchase the DVD, and die-hard fans will definitely want to pick up this BD set. To round out their collections, fans can pick up the follow-up movie Serenity on Bluray Dec. 30 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. – John Gaudiosi P I KUNG FU PANDA Paramount/DreamWorks, Animated, B.O. $215.4 million, $29.99 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray, ‘PG’ for sequences of martial arts action. Voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Ian McShane, David Cross. D reamWorks’ latest comedy for all ages, Kung Fu Panda, really packs a punch in HD. This version’s 1080p AVC-encoded transfer is a huge upgrade over the standard DVD. It’s definitely one of the top five CGI Blu-rays on the market. Kung Fu Panda also sounds great — and that’s not just because of the excellent voice cast. Everybody’s kung fu fighting in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound on this BD. Also, all the bonus content from the DVD has been upgraded to HD. “The Animator’s Corner” is a worthwhile picture-in-picture video commentary that blends the directors’ commentary (available separately as audio only) with behind-thescenes footage and other video. A trivia track offers HD-video tidbits about the making of the film. Kung Fu Panda also supports BD Live with featurettes and upcoming BD trailers. Featurettes include “Inside Kung Fu Panda,” a collection of cast interviews, a look at the character design process and a PSA on saving pandas. Kids will get some cultural flavor from a collection of featurettes such as “How to Use Chopsticks,” “Inside the Chinese Zodiac” and a real-life look at “Animals of Kung Fu Panda.” There are plenty of interactive activities as well, such as three games, and an instructional look at how the animators created the film’s characters. The only thing missing from the BD is the 24-minute short film Secrets of the Furious Five, which is a shame because it’s very entertaining. Thankfully, that’s always something that can be added via BD Live. – John Gaudiosi ixar’s ninth feature film, Wall-E, is a wonderful CGI tale of two robots and a visual delight that truly comes to life on Blu-ray Disc. This direct-to-digital 1080p AVC MPEG-4 transfer (with 2.35:1 aspect ratio) is almost 3-D in clarity. It’s certainly on par with Pixar’s last two BD releases, Cars and Ratatouille, in terms of photo-realism. In fact, this is one of the best BDs I’ve ever watched on my home theater system. Retail stores need only to play this BD version of the film next to the DVD version to show what a great leap HD makes in entertainment. The DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio track is offered in 6.1 Surround (48kHz/24-bit). In addition to bringing the captivating score to life, this track makes full use of the latest surround-sound technology to bring the souls of Wall-E and his “girlfriend” Eve to life through whirs, beeps and whistles. When it comes to extras, Wall-E is the best BD yet for a Pixar, or any other, CGI film. This BD collection comes with two discs packed with bonus content, as well as a third disc with a digital copy of the film. Better yet, all of the bonus material is presented in full 1080p. For exclusive BD content, Wall-E offers a picture-in-picture Cine-Explore Mode video commentary with the always-engaging director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) on the creation of the film. For those looking for a more humorous visual commentary, the picturein-picture “Geek Talk, Trash Talk and Trivia” features a quartet of the film’s creators in silhouette (like “Mystery Science Theater 3000”) revealing funny tidbits and secrets about the production. There’s also a cool 3-D fly-through of the Axiom ship and four “Axiom Arcade” games. The disc also includes the material available on the DVD, including the shorts Presto and Burn-E, deleted sequences, behind-the-scenes featurettes and other fun goodies. Also included is the Leslie Iwerks documentary The Pixar Story, which is so informative and entertaining it could have probably been sold as a standalone release. – John Gaudiosi December 28, 2008–January 4, 2009 Home Media Magazine 17 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 Contents News Gay & Lesbian Reviews TV DVD Pipeline Just Announced Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - News (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - News (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - News (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - News (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Gay & Lesbian (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Gay & Lesbian (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Reviews (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Reviews (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Tab1) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Tab2) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd1) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd2) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd3) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd4) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd5) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd6) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd7) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd8) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd9) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd10) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd11) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd12) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd13) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd14) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd15) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd16) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd17) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd18) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd19) Home Media Magazine - December 28, 2008 - Hollywood Goes High Def Supplement (Page hghd20)
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