So, you’re sitting around wondering: “What new horror, fantasy, and science fiction titles are coming out on DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday?” Well, Laserblast is back with all the info you need to make your home video renting and/or purchasing decisions. This week’s high-profile release is Peter Jackson’s film version of THE LOVELY BONES, which for some reason, did not catch on with audiences as well as the the best-selling novel on which it is based. So for the multitudes who missed it in theatres, now is your chance to make up for the mistake.
The film arrives on DVD and Blu-ray disc. The DVD features a 16:9 transfer, Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround, and Spanish 5.1 Surround, plus English, French and Spanish subtitles. The double-disc Blu-ray set offers a 1080 high-def transfer with English 5.1 DTS, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, with subtitles in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. The first Blu-ray disc contains the feature film; the second contains a 15-part production diary. Presented in high-def, this three-hour documentary combines behind-the-scenes footage with narration and interviews, in order to trace the shooting THE LOVELY BONES from beginning to end, including the special effects photography.
Also out this Tuesday is a new Blu-ray release of MINORITY REPORT, Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the Phillip K. Dick story. The two-disc set offers a high-def transfer on the first disc, with improved picture and sound compared to the previous DVD release. The second disc ports over the old DVD bonus features and adds several new ones:
- The Future According to Steven Spielberg (interactive interview)
- Inside the World of Precrime (10-minute featurette)
- Phillip K. Dick, Steven Spielberg and Minority Report (14-minute featurette)
- Minority Report: Future Realized (6-minute featurette)
- Minority Report: Props of the Future (10-minute featurette)
- From the Set (two looks behind the scenes at filming)
- Minority Report: Commercials of the Future
Arriving two days later than the rest of the week’s releases is James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster AVATAR. The release was delayed to coincide with Earth Day – an appropriate date for the ecologically-themed science fiction. The film will be available in DVD and Blu-ray. As we noted before, these discs will be extras-free, allegedly to conserve space needed to maintain optimum picture quality. Needless to say, some sort of “ultimate edition” is being prepped for November, which will include all the bonus features being omitted here. Although no date has been announced, a 3-D version is expected sometime later.
Check out the week’s other home video releases below, or find more in the Cinefantastique Online Store.