When '
Forrest Gump' received its theatrical release 15 years
ago, the media quickly latched onto the realistic special effects used to
insert Tom Hanks character into a number of historically significant film
footage that can be seen throughout the film. While they were no doubt
impressive for their time, the true focus should have been on Tom Hanks
Oscar-winning performance and the power of the story told within. Today
we are fortunate to be able to revisit this classic on Blu-ray in a stunning
high definition presentation worthy of its Sapphire designation.
The story of Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) begins with a small, southern boy
with crooked legs and a slow mind and ends with a successful man who
just so happened to change the lives of a few million people along the
way. Whether catching shrimp with a friend from his tour in Vietnam or
cleaning his dirty face while running across the country, his intentions were
never to change the world, it just ended up being that way.
Paramount took some heat in September for their Sapphire Series release
of '
Gladiator', which went on to achieve impressive sales
numbers despite a mediocre video presentation. They will not suffer the
same criticism today. The video on 'Gump' is sharp and detailed, and the film's music-
heavy soundtrack is absolutely stunning. Without a doubt, this is a highly
recommended Blu-ray release.
It's quite shocking to think that it took over three years for the first Alfred
Hitchcock film arrive on Blu-ray in the US, but the stunning Blu-ray
presentation of '
North by Northwest' makes it worth the
wait. As staff reviewer Casey Broadwater concludes, "The video
presentation is uniformly excellent—as close to a definitive version of the
film as we're going to get in 1080p—and the new TrueHD soundtrack
means North by Northwest sounds bigger and more clear than ever."
The Christmas flood keeps on flowing, with Blu-ray releases of the holiday
classic '
It's a Wonderful Life', re-release of '
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: Ultimate
Collector's Edition' in a collectible tin, and the holiday-inspired
romantic comedy '
Love Actually'. As far as romantic comedies go, 'Love
Actually' goes beyond your standard affair with an engaging story and
quality acting by a large cast of Hollywood regulars. Combine that with a
solid Blu-ray presentation, and this becomes an easy purchase to surprise
your significant other this holiday season.
The latest benefactor of the success of '
Transformers', '
G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra' arrives on Blu-ray today. While
I would have rather seen a retro adaptation of the material, the film
managed to pull significant box office numbers despite tepid critic reaction.
Also out today is '
Rocky: The Undisputed
Collection' which brings together all six Rocky films in a single set.
With the
first and
sixth films already available on Blu-ray, this
marks the first time fans can get their hands on the Rock II-V in high
definition. And let's be honest, who isn't up for a little Mr. T boxing action?
The Criterion Collection recently lost distribution rights to '
The
Third Man', reminding fans that at any time these industry leading Blu-
ray releases can disappear just as quickly as they arrive. Today, Criterion
brings us '
Wings of Desire' and the fan-picked '
Howards End'. Both releases are spectacular examples of
catalog titles done right. As staff reviewer Dr. Svet Atanasov concludes in
his review of 'Howards End', "Supervised by cinematographer Tony Pierre-
Roberts and approved by director James Ivory, the high-definition transfer
for Howards End has been created on a C-Reality Datacine with Oliver
Wetgate processing from the original 35mm interpositive. The result is a
vibrant, terrific looking transfer that will surely impress fans of this
beautiful film."
The 80's were filled with memorable coming of age stories featuring young
actors who have since puttered around Hollywood (Matthew Broderick, '
Ferris Bueller's Day Off') or faded away (Jennifer Grey, '
Dirty
Dancing'). Today, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment releases '
Say
Anything: 20th Anniversary Edition' on Blu-ray. While star John Cusack
has gone on to star in a number of memorable performances, his peak may
have come whilst raising his boom box and winning the hearts of millions
of young girls.
And finally today, Star Wars fans can pick up '
Star Wars: Clone Wars – The Complete Season One'
on Blu-ray today.
For a complete listing of all the Blu-ray titles released today,
click here.