WRECK-IT RALPH
(2012, Blu-ray released March 5, 2013 – MSRP $49.99)

THE FILM:

“Prepare for adventure when ‘the most original film in years’ (Bryan Erdy, CBS-TV) that thrilled audiences of all ages drops on Blu-ray! From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes a hilarious, arcade-game-hopping journey in Disney‘s Wreck-It Ralph. For decades, Ralph has played the bad guy in his popular video game. In a bold move, he embarks on an action-packed adventure and sets out to prove to everyone that he is a true hero with a big heart. As he explores exciting new worlds, he teams up with some unlikely new friends including feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz. Then, when an evil enemy threatens their world, Ralph realizes he holds the fate of the entire arcade in his massive hands. Featuring an all-star voice cast and breakthrough bonus features that take you even deeper into the world of video games, Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph has something for every player.“

SIDE BY SIDE
(2012, Blu-ray released March 5, 2013 – MSRP CDN$ 37.99)

THE FILM:

“Join Keanu Reeves on a tour of the past and future of filmmaking in SIDE BY SIDE. Since the invention of cinema, the standard format for recording moving images has been film. Over the past two decades, a new form of digital filmmaking has emerged, creating a groundbreaking evolution in the medium. Reeves explores the development of cinema and the impact of digital filmmaking via in-depth interviews with Hollywood masters, such as James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Steven Soderbergh, and many more.“

THE MASTER
(2012, Blu-ray released March 5, 2013 – MSRP CDN$ 34.99)

THE FILM:

“A striking portrait of drifters and seekers in post World War II America, Paul Thomas Anderson‘s The Master unfolds the journey of a Naval veteran (Joaquin Phoenix) who arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future – until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman).“

THE INSIDER
(1999, Blu-ray released February 19, 2013 – MSRP $20.00)

THE FILM:

“Experience the celebrated film The Insider on Blu-ray for the first time with an all-new digital restoration. Nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including best picture, best director, and best actor, this gripping true-life drama features an astonishing cast, including Oscar-winners Al Pacino (best actor, 1992, Scent Of A Woman), Russell Crowe (best actor, 2000, Gladiator) and Christopher Plummer (best supporting actor, 2010, Beginners). Witness the incredible chain of events that pitted an ordinary man against the tobacco industry and dragged two people into the fight of their lives. When former tobacco executive Dr. Jeffrey Wigand agrees to blow the whistle on the alleged unethical practices within the industry, and forms an alliance with veteran 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman, he starts an all-out war that could cost both men their reputations.and much, much more. Relive every unbelievable twist and turn like never before on Blu-ray.“

ARGO
(2012, Blu-ray released February 19, 2013 – MSRP $35.99)

THE FILM:

“Based on real events, the dramatic thriller “Argo” chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis, focusing on the little-known role that the CIA and Hollywood played – information that was not declassified until many years after the event. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, the Canadian and American governments ask the CIA to intervene. The CIA turns to their top “exfiltration” specialist, Tony Mendez, to come up with a plan to get the six Americans safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.“

If you know me, or have been reading The Blu-ray Blog for some time, you know that Hayao Miyazaki‘s My Neighbor Totoro is, other than the Universal Monster films, the holy grail of Blu-ray discs for me. This is what I’ve been waiting for. Granted, I could’ve popped for the $80 Japanese disc that was released last year (and I still might some day) but I decided to hold off, certain that our domestic release was just around the corner. And I’m happy to see now that my favourite film, as well as the master’s very fine Howl’s Moving Castle will arrive on Blu on May 21. All right, Disney, that makes 7 Ghibli movies you’ve given us on Blu-ray. How about the rest?!

Hey, guess what? I totally avoided watching the Oscars this year! Yeah! I chose instead to power through a few more episodes of the final season of Fringe (only 2 left!) and I’m happy I did. From the tweets I saw streaming by it looks like the Oscars were something of a shit show. But honestly, that’s nothing new. I could care less about the awards themselves but I’m very keen to learn the Canadian Blu-ray release dates of some of these titles so I can get my grubby hands on them and finally catch up on all the stellar looking films I’ve missed during their theatrical runs. It appears we’ll have most of them available in high-def before too long but I have a feeling that Sony will hold back Amour for a few months more, possibly until August, as they’ve tended to do with their Best Foreign Film nominees in the recent past. Bummer.

ANNA KARENINA
(2012, Blu-ray released February 19, 2013 – MSRP CDN $39.99)

THE FILM:

“An epic love story, Anna Karenina is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel from acclaimed director Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice) and Academy Award®-winning writer Tom Stoppard (1998, Shakespeare in Love). At the twilight of an empire, Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley, Atonement), the beautiful wife of one of Russia’s most esteemed men (Jude Law, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), has it all. But when she meets the dashing Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Savages), there is a mutual spark of instant attraction that cannot be ignored. Anna is swept up in a passionate affair that will shock a nation and change the lives of everyone around her.“