New Blu-ray Reviews

Kelly's Heroes / Where Eagles Dare Blu-ray Movie  

Warner Bros. | 1968-1970 | 2 Movies | 299 min | Rated PG | Jun 01, 2010 | Martin Liebman

See individual titles for their synopses.

Action / Adventure / Comedy / Drama / War / Heist

Donizetti: Don Pasquale Blu-ray Movie  

Ravenna Festival

Arthaus Musik | 2006 | 124 min | May 25, 2010 | Jeffrey Kauffman

This production was recorded during the Ravenna Festival in the gorgeous and patriarchal Teatro Dante Alighieri, in December 2006.

Music

The Leopard Blu-ray Movie    

Il gattopardo

BFI Video | 1963 | 185 min | Rated BBFC: PG | Jun 21, 2010 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

In Sicily during the 1800s, as the aristocracy finds itself challenged by new democratic fervor, Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, tries to hold on tightly to the past, but it is clear his glory days are waning. This is perfectly exemplified by his dashing nephew Tancredi Falconeri and Angelica Sedàra, his gorgeous bride-to-be. As the revolt gathers steam and begins to result in real change, the aging prince must come to terms with the new world encircling him. Filmed in Technirama

Drama / History / Romance / War / Foreign / Epic / Period

The Illusionist Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + DVD

20th Century Fox | 2006 | 109 min | Rated PG-13 | Jun 08, 2010 | Casey Broadwater

Eisenheim is a stage magician who amazes the audiences of turn-of-the-century Vienna, drawing the attention of Crown Prince Leopold. When the Prince's intended, Sophie von Teschen, assists the magician onstage, Eisenheim and Sophie recognize each other from their childhoods -- and a dormant love affair is rekindled. As the clandestine romance continues, Chief Inspector Uhl is charged by Leopold to expose Eisenheim, and Eisenheim prepares to execute his greatest illusion yet.

Drama / Mystery / Romance / Period

Mulan: Legendary Warrior Blu-ray Movie    

花木蘭 / Hua Mulan / Mulan: Rise of a Warrior

Cine-Asia | 2009 | 114 min | Rated BBFC: 15 | Jun 21, 2010 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

The epic story of the Chinese girl-warrior, Mulan, who fights to defend her father.

Action / Adventure / Drama / Romance / War / Martial arts / Foreign / Period

Showgirls Blu-ray Movie  

15th Anniversary Sinsational Edition / Blu-ray + DVD

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | 1995 | 131 min | Rated NC-17 | Jun 15, 2010 | Casey Broadwater

Nomi’s dreams and desires to make it big in Vegas are as sharp as a stiletto heel. When she catches the eye of Cristal, the Stardust’s sexy headliner, Nomi is on the brink of living her dream. But she soon realizes that there is only room for one starlet on the marquee… and that either sheor Cristal will have to take the fall!

Drama / Erotic

The Leopard Blu-ray Movie  

Il gattopardo / Italian and American Versions

Criterion | 1963 | 1 Movie, 2 Cuts | 186 min | Not rated | Jun 29, 2010 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

In Sicily during the 1800s, as the aristocracy finds itself challenged by new democratic fervor, Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, tries to hold on tightly to the past, but it is clear his glory days are waning. This is perfectly exemplified by his dashing nephew Tancredi Falconeri and Angelica Sedàra, his gorgeous bride-to-be. As the revolt gathers steam and begins to result in real change, the aging prince must come to terms with the new world encircling him. Filmed in Technirama

Drama / History / Romance / War / Foreign / Epic / Period

Delirious?: Farewell Show, Live in London Blu-ray Movie  

Kingsway Music | 2010 | 87 min | Not rated | May 18, 2010 | Jeffrey Kauffman

Listen and see music history in the making! You're invited to the Dove Award-winning, Grammy-nominated band's final performances—an emotional live worship celebration that will never be forgotten. Features "All This Time," "Bliss," "Our God Reigns," "History Maker," "My Soul Sings," "Not Ashamed," "Shout to the North," "Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble," and many more.

Music

Handel: Admeto Blu-ray Movie  

Naxos | 2009 | 181 min | May 25, 2010 | Jeffrey Kauffman

The Danish National Symphony Orchestra, The Danish National Symphony Choir.

Music

Outlander Blu-ray Movie  

Vivendi Visual Entertainment | 2008 | 115 min | Rated R | May 18, 2010 | Jeffrey Kauffman

A space craft crashes into the majestic fjords of ancient Norway and into the time of the Vikings. From the wreckage emerge two bitter enemies: a soldier from another world - Kainan - and a bloodthirsty creature known as the Moorwen. Man and monster both seeking revenge for violence committed against them. As the Moorwen ravages the Viking world, killing everything in its path, Kainan forms an unlikely alliance with the primitive but fierce warriors. Combining his advanced technology with ancient Iron Age weapons, the hero leads a desperate attempt to kill the monster - before it destroys them all.

Action / Adventure / Horror / Sci-Fi

Happy Together Blu-ray Movie  

春光乍洩 / Chun gwong cha sit

Kino Lorber | 1997 | 96 min | Not rated | Jun 08, 2010 | Casey Broadwater

A pair of lovers live out the waning days of their relationship as expatriates in Buenos Aires. Lusty tango bars, the salsa music of the La Boca sidewalks, and a hypnotic visit to the nearby Iguazu Falls given further dimension to the tensions growing between the two lovers.

Drama / Romance / Foreign

Departures Blu-ray Movie    

おくりびと / Okuribito

Arrow | 2008 | 130 min | Rated BBFC: 12 | May 10, 2010 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

Daigo Kobayashi is a young married cellist who played in an orchestra that has just been disbanded. Suddenly on the street without a job, Daigo decides to move back to his hometown with his wife. There he gets a job as an undertaker. He sees himself as a sort of gatekeeper between life and death. However, Daigo's work is despised by all the people around him. But it is through his relationship with death on a daily basis that Daigo begins to understand what life is really about.

Drama / Music / Foreign

American Serengeti Blu-ray Movie  

National Geographic | 2010 | 50 min | Not rated | May 25, 2010 | Jeffrey Kauffman

This beautifully filmed documentary takes viewers on a journey to the past -- and future -- of America's Great Plains as it traces a conservation project to re-create a region filled with bison, grizzly bears, wolves, prairie dogs and more. Tom Selleck narrates the story of the impressive effort to establish a one-million-acre wildlife reserve, and a CGI segment illustrates the projected results in stunning visual detail.

Documentary / Nature

The Deadly Duo Blu-ray Movie  

雙俠 / Shuang xia

Tokyo Shock | 1971 | 81 min | Not rated | May 11, 2010 | Dustin Somner

During the Sung Dynasty in Northern China, a prince is taken prisoner in order to prevent a Southern uprising. A group of martial-arts heroes come to his aid. However, the prince is heavily guarded and early rescue attempts fail. Now it's up to two kung-fu experts Ti Lung (DRUNKEN MASTER 2) and David Chiang (THE HEROIC ONES) to use their extraordinary skills to rescue the prince and restore hope for the future of China.

Action / Adventure / Martial arts / Foreign / Period

Wagner: Parsifal Blu-ray Movie  

Opus Arte | 323 min | May 25, 2010 | Jeffrey Kauffman

No synopsis for this title.

Music

Stolen Blu-ray Movie  

Stolen Lives

IFC Films | 2009 | 91 min | Rated R | Jun 29, 2010 | Casey Broadwater

Work has become an obsession for Detective Tom Adkins since the disappearance of his ten-year-old son, Tommy Jr. When an early morning phone call leads him to the mangled remains of a young boy who was brutally murdered 50 years ago, Adkins takes on the case in hopes of finding absolution. His investigation leads him to a man who lived in 1958 named Matthew Wakefield and the man's innocent son, John. The striking similarities in the cases pushes Adkins' obsession over the top. Barely holding onto his sanity and bound by redemption, Adkins tries to unravel the unspeakable truth behind what happened to his son.

Drama / Mystery / Thriller

Bodyguards and Assassins Blu-ray Movie    

十月围城

Entertainment One | 2009 | 139 min | Rated BBFC: 15 | May 31, 2010 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

'Bodyguards and Assassins' concerns efforts by a group of martial artists to protect Dr. Sun Yat-sen who is popularly referred as the Father of Modern China, from an assassination attempt while visiting Hong Kong to raise funds at the beginning of the 20th century.

Action / Drama / History / Martial arts / Foreign / Period

Privilege Blu-ray Movie    

BFI Flipside

BFI Video | 1967 | 103 min | Rated BBFC: 15 | May 24, 2010 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

Steven Shorter, the biggest pop star of his day, is loved by millions; his approval or endorsement can guide the choices and actions of the masses. But, in reality he is a puppet whose popularity is carefully managed by government-backed handlers keen to keep the country's youth under control. Only an act of complete rebellion can set him free.

Comedy / Drama / Music

Pugni: La Fille du Pharaon Blu-ray Movie  

The Pharaoh's Daughter

Bel Air Classiques | 101 min | May 25, 2010 | Jeffrey Kauffman

The Bolshoi Ballet.

Music

Spring 1941 Blu-ray Movie  

Well Go USA | 2008 | 101 min | Not rated | Mar 23, 2010 | Dustin Somner

Clara Planck, a brilliant and famous cellist, returns to Poland 30 years after World War II to visit the places that still haunt her. Clara and her husband, Doctor Artur Planck, once had a family, home, and a medical practice in Warsaw. When Nazis invaded Poland and herded the Jewish population into the ghetto, their family barely had enough time to flee. The first safe place they sought refuge was in Emilia’s remote farm, where she conceals the Planck family in her attic. Emilia is a Polish woman who sold them vegetables and whose husband is missing in action. But she has ulterior motives hiding underneath her generosity.

Drama