When '
Slumdog Millionaire' was released theatrically, it was
pegged as the "feel-good film of the year" by many who reviewed it, but
most probably didn't realize how true that assessment actually was.
Originally financed by Warner Independent Pictures, the film was headed
straight to video if not for a swift move by Fox Searchlight to help
finance the film and gain US theatrical rights. Almost $300M later, Fox is
releasing this 2008 winner for Best Picture on Blu-ray today.
Review Editor Ben Williams posted his
review
yesterday, and it looks to be another winner from the studio. He
concluded, "Fox has delivered the film to Blu-ray with a faithful transfer
that perfectly realizes the film's heavily stylized look. Audio is also nicely
presented in the form of a stellar 5.1 DTS HD-Master Audio track that
delivers the film's Hindi and English dialogue with aplomb."
Classic film fans get bombarded with some great high definition content
today. Warner is releasing '
An American in Paris' and '
Gigi',
while Fox delivers '
South Pacific: 50th Anniversary Edition'.
In his review, Staff Reviewer Martin Liebman
comments, "20th Century Fox continues to impress with its dedication to
catalogue titles on Blu-ray. South Pacific is another title that is revitalized
thanks to Blu-ray, the format allowing this classic to sparkle as brightly as
ever with vivid colors and breathtaking detail."
Universal today delivers the two Riddick films in '
Pitch Black: Unrated Director's
Cut' and '
The Chronicles of Riddick: Unrated Director's Cut', both of
which look and sound absolutely spectacular. For two films with so much
dark cinematography, there are so many instances where black levels can
fail. I was elated while watching the discs to witness very little if any
problems with the black levels and a resounding clarity throughout. The
soundtrack, too, is an exercise in complexity that is presented marvelously
by Blu-ray. Fans of these films should not hesitate.
'
Marley &
Me' was a blockbuster family hit for Fox, and today they bring it as a
Blu-ray/DVD combo so that fans can watch it on both their home Blu-ray
player and in their car's DVD player without having to buy two copies of
the film. Disney has been pushing that same combination for a while, and
its great to
see another studio step up and offer fans that option.
And finally today, fans of the original "Matrix" film who have no interest in
the sequels will be happy to hear that '
The Matrix: 10th Anniversary
Edition is being released today as a Digibook release.
The Ultimate
Matrix Collection is still available for those who want it, but this gives
fans another opportunity to own the film that "reloaded" a "revolution".
For a complete listing of all the Blu-ray titles released today,
click here.