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Today on Blu-ray - September 1st
Posted September 1, 2009 12:19 PM by Josh Dreuth
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There is a bit of controversy with one of today's releases, so I'm just going to get this out of the way as quickly as possible to avoid any further distraction. While not a horrible presentation, the Blu-ray release of ‘Gladiator' does not live up to the promise of Paramount's Sapphire Series to “present each cinematic gem in the highest quality.” The studio used a clearly outdated master for this release, a mistake that readers may recall from a few early Blu-ray releases (specifically, the initial release of ‘The Fifth Element'). One can only hope that the studio will recognize that mistake, and offer replacement discs to those who are purchasing the film today (again, similar to how Sony handled their TFE issue).
However flawed, the disc does represent an upgrade from the previous DVD release. The audio quality benefits greatly from the lossless encoding, and viewers will definitely notice increase fidelity and clarity. Even the video represents an upgrade, though not on the scale usually seen on Blu-ray releases. So while you may hesitate to pick up a copy today, you can make a purchase with the knowledge that the Blu-ray release represents the best home video presentation of ‘Gladiator'. Hopefully, Paramount will soon come out with an official statement announcing a trade-in program for owners, but that may take some time as they first have to figure out what went wrong.
Beyond that, we do have some great Blu-ray titles being released today, including a title that does represent what Paramount's new Sapphire Series is all about: ‘Braveheart'. Staff Reviewer Martin Liebman concludes in his review of the title, "With pitch-perfect pacing, fabulous acting, well-written characters, exciting action sequences, and an unwavering emotional core, Braveheart may be found on a rather short list amongst the best of the best films in cinema history. Parmaount's Blu-ray and flagship "Sapphire Series" release is, in a word, superb. Boasting a high quality film-like 1080p transfer, a wondrous lossless soundtrack, and plenty of extras, Braveheart is one of the year's must-own titles and earns my highest recommendation."
Fox releases the film ‘M*A*S*H' today on Blu-ray, which served as inspiration for the long-running television series of the same name. Starring Donald Sutherland, Tom Skerritt and Elliott Gould, the film tells the story of three Army surgeons who keep their sanity by living leisurely and staging practical jokes on their uptight commanders. Beyond that, Fox is also releasing the catalog titles ‘The Girl Next Door' and ‘High Crimes'.
Anyone who has seen the animated version of ‘The Lord of the Rings' will immediately recognize and connect with the look and feel of the Blue Underground Blu-ray release of ‘Fire and Ice'. While not as universally known, the film represents a time in animation where fantasy themes could thrive without the burdens of reality. As staff reviewer Martin Liebman summarizes, “Blue Underground's Blu-ray release of Fire and Ice impresses. Featuring a solid 1080p image, an incredibly robust lossless soundtrack, and a decent array of extras, Fire and Ice comes recommended as a rental for casual viewers and as a purchase for genre aficionados and longtime fans of the film.”
After the success of the BBC series ‘Planet Earth', Disney decided to use some of the award-winning footage, combine it with some additional footage, to tell the story of three animal families in 'Earth'. While ‘Planet Earth' isn't necessarily inappropriate for younger viewers, there are some scenes that may be questionable. Disney does what they do best, and delivers a family-centric film with a heart-felt story that younger viewers are sure to enjoy.
TV fans get another boost this week with release of ‘Heroes: Season 3' and ‘Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season'.
For a complete listing of all the Blu-ray titles released today, click here.
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Source: Blu-ray.com |
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Relevant for:
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steve_99101
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Sep 01, 2009
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Thanks for the heads up about Gladiator. i will be steering clear and hoping for a re-release. may be possibly picking up State of Play but might wait for a price drop. |
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jimmybobo
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Sep 01, 2009
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If no one buys Galdiator its going to help send a clear message we want a new transfer. Which sucks because I really enjoy that movie  |
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donricouga
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Sep 01, 2009
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Just picked up Gladiator and Braveheart and the snow white steelbook pre-order from best buy. While the PQ of Gladiator is questionable, i do not own the dvd so it's a no brainer for me. I do hope in the future they offer an exchange program. I'll pick up Heroes later on from amazon |
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apollo92178
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Sep 01, 2009
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WTF! Don't they a quality assurance team of some sort that can check the quality of a movie before its release?? |
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ribbed19
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Sep 01, 2009
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hah, the only QA required on something like that is someone to sit there and watch it and be like "boys....quality sucks" |
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Brad1963
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Sep 01, 2009
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I picked up STATE OF PLAY, HEROES S3 is on its way to me. Will get M*A*S*H in the future. |
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Russell_L
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Sep 01, 2009
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"Hopefully, Paramount will soon come out with an official statement announcing a trade-in program for owners, but that may take some time as they first have to figure out what went wrong."
Will they or won't they? That is the question..... First, they have to acknowledge that something went wrong in the first place. Once they've admitted that, there should no question with them doing a new transfer and offering a trade-in program. Let's keep our fingers crossed..... |
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Wdm81
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Sep 01, 2009
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I'll be picking up Braveheart at somepoint this week (probabaly friday), I've decided not to get gladiator, we shouldn't have to put up with this from a major studio especially one that is launching a new line of Blurays meant to represent important films at their best
oh well, Braveheart is a better film then gladiator anyways, at least it didn't get screwed up |
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oguh
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Sep 01, 2009
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IM GOING TO BUY GLADIATOR AND BRAVEHEART IN TARGET FOR 22.99 GREAT FILMS OF ALL TIME |
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BlueMilkAndCheese
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Sep 01, 2009
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got braveheart today, gonna wait for a re-release of gladiator |
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dinehell
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Sep 01, 2009
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NOOOOOOOOOOO I'm from UK I've order UK Version Gladiator and it on it way my house. |
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thetoyaddict
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Sep 01, 2009
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I just picked up Requiem for a Dream from Best Buy today along with Gladiator & Braveheart. Couldn't turn down Gladiator since it has the $10 upgrade. Check your Best Buy for Requiem for a Dream. |
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BigNickUK
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Sep 01, 2009
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Cancelled my UK preorder from The Hut although in the UK it is being distributed by Universal. I presume they used the same source. |
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nwdcrob
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Sep 01, 2009
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Did the previous trade-in for The Fifth Element require the proof of purchase tab? I was hoping to take advantage of the $10 rebate for owners of the DVD of Gladiator which requires submitting the tab for the rebate form. |
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camaro
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Sep 01, 2009
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Wow! glad I decided to wait on Gladiator. Just curious how something like that could happen when this is supposed to be a new line with really high standards?? Not a good way to start out any way you look at it. I would imagine that someone, somewhere would have noticed something wrong before it got to the stores. |
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Rainman208
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Sep 01, 2009
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Damn. Was looking forward to Gladiator too as a lot of us were I guess. Oh well, plenty of other good releases this month. Hopefully no more disappointments. |
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Titanicfave
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Sep 01, 2009
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Picked up Earth along with a few older titles~The Wild, The Water Horse, and The Invincible Iron Man, and got myself a new much bigger TV this week~ Mitsubishi 60" 1080P DLP HDTV! |
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Frozenpinky
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Sep 01, 2009
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TheToyAddict,
How did you get Requiem for a Dream on Blu-ray today? That drops next week, right? |
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nathanp
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Sep 01, 2009
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Big pass on Gladiator, will wait until they actually put a little effort into it. |
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