You know it’s a massive week of important Blu-ray releases when there are two new titles from Criterion and neither is in the number one position on our Top 5 list! Shocking! We’ve had some big weeks lately but this might just be the most incredible one of all. Hope you’ve been saving up.

1. THE ALIEN ANTHOLOGY

The brand new Alien Anthology Blu-ray set from Fox is perhaps the finest collection of films and supplemental material ever assembled in a single home video package! Special Edition disc producer Charles de Lauzirika, the genius behind the endlessly impressive ultimate Blade Runner set from a few years back, has really outdone himself here. In addition to brand new, stunning high-def transfers of the first two films, de Lauzirika has reassembled and recreated sound elements for the Alien³: Special Edition audio track, including re-recording dialogue with the original actors from those unfinished scenes that were inserted into the cut, to deliver an experience far more akin to a polished, final release film than has ever been seen before. Oh, and did I mention that each film is afforded two different cuts? And did I mention that there are over 60 hours of extras spread over the 6-discs? And did I mention that this is probably the best boxed set, perhaps even the best Blu-ray title of the entire year?

Yeah, the Alien Anthology Blu-ray set is pretty much the best thing ever. You need to grab it up today. Right now. Get going!!

The special features are too voluminous to list here. For full details, read our breakdown of the set: Alien Anthology Blu-ray Boxed Set Officially Announced and Detailed

Amazon: $89.99

2. BACK TO THE FUTURE: 25TH ANNIVERSARY TRILOGY

If this Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray set had been released on any other day of the year, it most likely would have won the crown and taken the top spot on my Top 5 list. But competing against the juggernaut that is the Alien Anthology, Marty McFly and Doc Brown will have to settle for number two. Universal won’t send me a review copy, so I’m relying on the reviews of others here, to recommend this set on anything other than the fame of the films alone. But for all intents and purposes, it looks like this set is a pretty good one, featuring all new high-def transfers for the three films and a crap-load of new special features.

Amazon: $47.99

3. HOUSE

Without the two killer boxed sets of popular films warring it out for the top slots, this would easily have been my number one pick of the week. As I said in the Top 10 New Blu-ray Discs for Halloween 2010 list, it feels like I’ve been awaiting the Criterion Collection edition of House for almost a year now. It’s not a particularly scary film for modern audiences but it is incredibly imaginative and super-fun for a horror film. Criterion has, of course, pulled out all the stops here, delivering a stunning, cleaned up transfer and crisp, clean audio, along with a host of brand new special features that are sure to please any fan.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
• Constructing a House, a new video piece featuring interviews with director Nobuhiko Obayashi, story scenarist and daughter of the director Chigumi Obayashi, and screenwriter Chiho Katsura
• Emotion, a 1966 experimental film by Obayashi
• New video appreciation by director Ti West (House of the Devil)
• Theatrical trailer
• New and improved English subtitle translation
• PLUS: An essay by Chuck Stephens

Amazon: $34.99

4. PATHS OF GLORY

I don’t think I really need to push Paths of Glory too hard on any film fans out there. This is a brand new Criterion Blu-ray disc of a classic Stanley Kubrick film starring Kirk Douglas. That should be enough hot button keywords right there to tell you that you need to grab this one up as soon as possible! As per Criterion’s usual treatment, the film has never, ever looked this brilliant and vivid and has never been afforded so many insightful special features as on this Blu-ray disc. Paths of Glory is a must for every film fan!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
• New audio commentary by critic Gary Giddins
• Television interview from 1979 with star Kirk Douglas
• New video interviews with Kubrick’s longtime executive producer Jan Harlan, Paths of Glory producer James B. Harris, and actress Christiane Kubrick
• Excerpt from a French television program about real-life World War I executions similar to the events dramatized in Paths of Glory
• Theatrical trailer
• PLUS: An essay by Kubrick scholar James Naremore

Amazon: $29.49

5. STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS – THE COMPLETE SEASON TWO

I’d really love to say that I’m so over Star Wars, after the years of suffering through the dreadful prequel films but damn, if these animated Clone Wars episodes don’t keep me coming back for more! Why can’t I quit you, Star Wars?! Why?!

This new Complete Season Two boxed set picks up directly from the Season One set we reviewed last year, with fantastic transfers in the never-before-seen, director approved aspect ratio, amazing digi-book packaging full of artwork and a ton of great special features.

READ MORE: Star Wars: The Clone Wars The Complete Season Two Blu-ray set officially announced

Amazon: $41.99

WARNER DIRECTOR COLLECTIONS: Oliver Stone Collection, Martin Scorcese Collection

Warner is releasing two new Director Collections today, featuring three films each from Oliver Stone and Martin Scorsese. At a discount, both are a good value for the money. Each box consists of a single Blu-ray case with three trays inside. The discs are all re-packaged from previous releases. I’ve only gotten my hands on the Scorsese set so far and can confirm that Goodfellas, The Departed and The Aviator all match up to the versions already in stores, with the same transfers and all the special features intact. I’ll update the post when I get a look at the Stone set in the near future.

If you already own any of these films, you’ll probably want to give these sets a pass and pick up the remaining titles on a holiday sale or something. If you don’t have any three in either box and you can find a good deal on a set, grab it up!

Amazon: $42.49, $54.99

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
Clicking an image will take you to Amazon.com where you can learn more about and purchase the Blu-ray disc:

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I can hardly believe it but I’ll finally get to watch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World in just over a couple of weeks! It sure has been a long time coming for this writer who managed to miss every single opportunity to see it in the theatre over the last few months since its release. Thankfully, the Blu-ray hits shops on November 9th and I can’t hardly wait! Read the full details of the disc release in our previous post, here: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Blu-ray officially announced

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Guess what? That’s right – I still haven’t seen the Scott Pilgrim film. Such is the life of a guy pulling double duty at the office during the day, musician in a band by night and Blu-ray reviewer in the spaces between. Sigh… Nevertheless, this Blu-ray disc looks to be something to get excited about – far more feature-rich than the rumours made it out to be. So, maybe, if the stars align, if everything is in its right place, I might just get a chance to see Scott Pilgrim when it comes to Blu-ray on November 9th. Here’s hoping…

Special Features:

• Commentaries:
  • Director/producer/co-writer Edgar Wright, co-writer Michael Bacall and author Bryan Lee O’Malley
  • Technical Commentary with director/producer/co-writer Edgar Wright and director of photography Bill Pope
  • Cast commentary with Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong and Brandon Routh
  • Cast commentary with Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Kieran Culkin and Mark Webber
• U-Control: Storyboard picture-in-picture (BD-exclusive)
• Trivia track
• Deleted and alternate scenes with commentary from Edgar Wright
• Insider documentaries (BD-exclusive)
  • Making of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
  • Music Featurette
  • You Too Can Be Sex Bob-Omb
• Alternate footage: A special look at alternative edits to the film (BD-exclusive)
• Pre-production: A look inside the film’s pre-production process including storyboards, pre-visualizations, animatics, motion capture tests, rehearsal footage, casting tapes, hair/make-up tests and more (BD-exclusive)
• The Music of Scott Pilgrim vs. the world: including four complete music videos and video remixes from legendary DJ Osymyso (BD-exclusive)
• Visual effects (BD-exclusive)
• Sound work (BD-exclusive)
• Trailers and TV spots (BD-exclusive)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the Bloopers
• Behind-the-scenes
• Adult Swim™: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation (BD-exclusive)(BD-exclusive)
• Scott Pilgrim vs the Censors: TV-safe version (BD-exclusive)
• Behind-the-scenes production blogs by Edgar Wright from the set of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (BD-exclusive)
• Behind-the-scenes photo galleries including Edgar Wright’s photo blog
• Galleries: production photos, art galleries and marketing concepts
• Pocket Blu (BD-exclusive)
  • Advanced Remote Control
  • Video Timeline
  • Mobile-To-Go
  • Virtual Keyboard
• BD-Live

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You’ll never believe it if I tell you but I still haven’t gotten a chance to see Scott Pilgrim yet. Yeah, I know. It’s almost too late. But as I prepare myself to completely miss out on the big-screen experience, Bleeding Cool has whet my appetite for the eventual Blu-ray release of the film with their report detailing some of the special features we’re likely to see on the disc. Read on!

From Bleeding Cool.com:

• 5 minutes and 45 seconds of TV spots
• A 1 minute and 24 second international trailer
• An audio commentary with Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong, and Brandon Routh
• Another with Anna Kendrick,* Aubrey Plaza, Kieran Culkin, and Mark Webber
• 20 minutes and 11 seconds of “Additional material Bonus X 2 3 Trailers” – is that twenty three trailers?
• The “main” trailer and teaser
• The Osymiso remix clips, totalling a run time of 9 minutes and 13 seconds

Looks pretty sweet! Word on the street is that the November date we reported on last week might be right on the nose. We’ll let you know when we hear more.

Read more: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World coming to Blu-ray in November, available for pre-order

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Here’s a great way to lead into the weekend – a sneak peek at one of the bonus features from the upcoming Back To The Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray set! The discs will be available on October 26th packed to the gills with special features and purportedly sporting a very fine, newly minted HD transfer.

As a little bonus, and just to whet your appetite for experiencing the films in 1080p for the first time, check out the clip below, in which old George McFly serves his nemesis Biff a tasty knuckle sandwich. God, I love Crispin Glover! He’s just so damn weird!!

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Argh! This just came out! I haven’t even seen it yet! Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is the one movie of the summer that I promised myself I would catch in the cinemas, no matter the cost. And here it is, just a couple of weeks after hitting the big screen, already available for pre-order on Amazon. This does not bode well for its longevity at my local AMC.

While you can “Sign up to be notified when this item becomes available” on Amazon.com, the Canadian site, Amazon.ca offers a little more detail about the Blu-ray release along with the ability to pre-order the disc. According to the e-tailer, the Blu-ray disc will be available on November 9 with an MSRP $46.99 CDN, which will most likely end up being an MSRP of $39.98 US, given the pricing on like Universal releases of late.

Until Universal makes an official announcement we won’t have confirmation of any details, aside from the inclusion of the animation below, which was revealed as a DVD/Blu-ray special feature by the director, Edgar Wright himself. I would also place bets on the package art shown above (featured on Blu-ray.com) being a temp version and that we might see something altogether different when the studio finally makes their announcement. As always, I’ll keep you updated with any news I come across.

UPDATE: So, it looks like someone at Amazon.ca got the old beat-down for posting the pre-order prematurely! It’s been unceremoniously yanked from the site, leaving this post as the only evidence of the information leak.

Sigh…

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This is some damn-hot news! I don’t have a lot of time on my hands to wax rhapsodic about it today, but I’ve got to let you know that Amazon has just listed Sofia Coppola‘s brilliant Lost in Translation for release on Blu-ray this December 7th!! I’m so stoked! That’s right – I just wrote the word “stoked.” That’s how out-of-my-mind this news makes me.

This is honestly on of my all time favourite films and while I don’t believe it’s going to be the picture of a perfect Blu-ray disc (not as crisp and detailed as we’d hope, due to the low-budget manner in which it was produced) I’m still excited to have a copy of it in high-def. No details or package art are available yet, outside of the MSRP of $26.98. Pre-order on Amazon now for only $18.99.

I have!

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It’s Blu-ray trailer day, here at The Blu-ray Blog! Here’s a look at another big October release – possibly *THE* October release – the trailer for the Back To The Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy set.

That 1:16-minute trailer zooms by pretty quickly, making the film and special features look like a million bucks but I’ve got to tell you, more than anything else, those little sneak-peeks behind the scenes have got me salivating for more BTTF. I haven’t watched the films in an age but they were among my favourites growing up and, never having owned the DVD editions, getting a chance to watch all of that on-set footage for the first time is going to be a thrill. By all accounts, it looks like these new “restored” Blu-ray editions are going to be definitive. The Back To The Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy Blu-ray boxed set hits store shelves on October 26th.

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I stopped watching Heroes ages ago but admit to being morbidly curious about where the series ended up. This trailer, with its slightly out-of-sync audio doesn’t really offer me too much or make me want to rush out and spend $56 on Amazon to check it out. But if somebody wants to lend me their boxed sets for a couple of weeks, I certainly wouldn’t turn them down…

Special Features:

• U-Control
• Picture-in-picture: Video commentaries with Tim Kring, Nate Goodman, Charlie Lieberman, Adam Armus, Kay Foster and series stars, Robert Knepper, Adrian Pasdar and Greg Grunberg (BD-exclusive)
• Audio commentaries:
  • Once Upon a Time in Texas
  • Shadowboxing
  • The Fifth Stage
  • Brave New World
• Hero Connections (BD-exclusive)
• Featurettes:
  • Deconstructing Sylar: Discussion with Tim Kring, Adam Armus and Zachary Quinto.
  • Milo Speaks: Milo Vetimiglia talks about his career as an actor and his role on Heroes.
  • Heroes Revolution: Tim Kring and Heroes New Media Creatives discuss the importance of a web series for a hit television show and how New Media entertainment is created.
  • Genetics of Scene: An on-going series for fans. The cast and crew of “Heroes” provide an in-depth look at the production process of creating specific scenes.
  • Behind the Big Top: Dennis Hammer, Robert Knepper, Ray Park and Dawn Oliviera give a behind-the-scenes look at a hit television series with a perspective to joining the crew (BD-exlusive)
• Screensaver: Sullivan Brothers Design Gallery screensaver for your television.
• Deleted and extended scenes (some BD-exclusive)
• BD-Live
• My Scenes
• pocket BLU

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Speaking of Ridley Scott films starring Russell Crowe (read all about the new Blu-ray edition of Gladiator here, if you haven’t already), Universal Pictures have announced the September 20th release of the duo’s recent Robin Hood film on Blu-ray in the U.K. I missed this one in the theatres but I have to say, it looks like a major misstep – prequel story, old Robin, too much war, too much like Gladiator, etc. But, as a long time fan of all things Robin Hood, I’m eager to get my hands on it and give it a go. I mean, really…how bad can it possibly be?!

Special Features:

• Theatrical (2hrs 13mins, PAL) & Director’s Cut (2hrs 29mins, PAL) versions of the film
• Director’s Notebook PIP (Theatrical Version)
• The Art of Nottingham featurette (5m 15s)
• Rise and Rise Again – Making Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood (1hr 2m)
• Trailers (x2) & TV Spots (x6)
• 10 Deleted Scenes with optional Commentary
• Introduction to Deleted Scenes

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