Walt Disney Studios returns to live action family movies with the Blu-ray release of Old Dogs on March 9th, 2010.

No doubt Disney was attempting to recreate the success of Wild Hogs, with John Travolta appearing again, this time joined by veteran comedian Robin Williams as his best friend and business partner.

Early on we discover that Travolta’s character Charlie has a light hearted influence on Williams’ character Dan, who is typically more serious and hard working.

During a loose and wild vacation Charlie arranged seven years previously, the normally cautious Dan hooked up with and spontaneously married Vicki, only to have the marriage annulled the next day.

However what Dan didn’t know is that Vicki had paternal twin children from the affair, and it is only now they meet up again and he gets to meet his estranged children.

Dan ends up looking after the children for a couple of weeks while Vicki serves some time for civil disobedience, and naturally ‘hilarity ensues’.

Sadly though, while the premise seems to have promise, the movie delivered here does not live up to the promise.

While the kids may find it entertaining enough, much of the humour is somewhat strained from an adult perspective and the movie in general comes across as contrived and false.

The characters’ actions don’t make much sense at times, serving only to create the next gag or situation to be overcome.

In addition to John Travolta and Robin Williams, the cast includes Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Matt Dillon, Dax Shepard, Bernie Mac, Luis Guzmán, Lori Loughlin, Justin Long and John’s real life daughter Ella Bleu Travolta.

This was Bernie Mac’s last film, and the theatrical release was delayed due to Mac’s untimely death.

The film’s release was further delayed due to Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son Jett’s death, and was eventually released a full year after the original planned release date.

Old Dogs was directed by Walt Becker, who also directed Van Wilder and Wild Hogs.

The movie was widely panned by critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 6%, and an IMDb score of 5.2/10.

Old Dogs earned $49M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 28 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

With a nice recent production, the image quality looks pretty good here.

For full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc, check out the details page for Old Dogs.

The main audio is lossless DTS-HD Master Audio with 5.1 channels - 24 bits resolution at 48 kHz.

The disc is a dual layer BD50, with 32.0 GB used and is coded for Region A.

Supplements for this title include BD Live Network features.

This release also includes a DVD and a Digital Copy for both iTunes and Windows Media.

The feature has an optional audio commentary with Director Walt Becker, producer Andrew Panay and writers David Diamon and David Weissman.

The young stars interview the older stars in the Young Dogs Learn Old Tricks featurette.

Addional footage is presented in the form of both bloopers and deleted or alternate scenes.

On the music side, the Music Video for the Bryan Adams song You’ve Been A Friend To Me is included, along with a music video for Every Little Step performed by John Travolta and Ella Bleu Travolta, which comes across as a promotional exercise for Ella Bleu’s benefit.

Perhaps Travolta wants to position her as the next Hannah Montana…

Old Dogs is a fairly decent Blu-ray release from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, though the movie itself is a bit of a disappointment.

That said your kids might like it.

The retail price for the Combo release is $44.99, available at Amazon for $24.99, saving 44%!

Alternatively there is also a Old Dogs Single Disc Edition that retails for less but oddly costs more at Amazon.

Extras:

• Audio Commentary With Director Walt Becker, Producer Andrew Panay And Writers David Diamon And David Weissman
• Young Dogs Learn Old Tricks
• Bloopers
• Deleted Scenes
• Music Video “You’ve Been A Friend To Me” Performed By Bryan Adams
• Music Video “Every Little Step” Performed By John Travolta And Ella Bleu Travolta

Synopsis:

John Travolta and Robin Williams star in Old Dogs, the hilarious family comedy that will have you howling. Two best friends have their lives turned upside down when they’re unexpectedly charged with the care of seven-year-old twins while on the verge of the biggest business deal of their lives. The clueless bachelors stumble in their efforts to take care of the children, leading to one debacle after another, with a gorilla and some pecking penguins - and perhaps to a newfound understanding of what’s really important in life. Featuring a riotously funny supporting cast including Seth Green, Kelly Preston, Matt Dillon and Lori Laughlin, Old Dogs is a laugh-a-minute comedy filled with heart.

Amazon seems to be on a roll today, discounting title from The Weinstein Company to just $8.99.

Titles in the promotion include 1408, Hell Ride, Soul Men, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Halloween and Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

Also included is the Genius Entertainment television release Lonesome Dove.

As always, it is never clear how long this promotion will last, so get ‘em while they are hot!

The Blu-ray Cover Art Gallery for the week of the 14th of March 2010 reveals some new titles that will sell bulk on DVD but may have a harder time on Blu-ray Disc.

Top seller right now is teen fantasy flick New Moon (note that this streets March 20th), followed closely by Disney’s animated family title The Princess and the Frog.

Alternatively we have art house films in the form of Broken Embraces from Sony, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and Paris from MPI and Wonderful World from Magnolia.

On the Television side we have Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season and Breaking Bad: The Complete Second Season as well as South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season.

It will be interesting to see how the week plays out from a market share and revenue perspective…

Click on any cover to see the details for the title.

Amazon has a new list of MGM and Fox Home Entertainment titles on sale for $9.99.

Titles in the promotion include The Amityville Horror, Dark Blue, Walking Tall, A Bridge Too Far, Navy Seals and The Graduate.

Amazon has also listed a selection of Paramount title for $9.99, a saving of 66%.

Discounted Paramount titles include The Sum of All Fears, Aeon Flux, Face/Off, Clear and Present Danger, Mission Impossible and Patriot Games.

Always good to see Blu-ray for under $10.

See a full list after the break:

Continue reading “Amazon Discounts MGM, Paramount and Fox Blu-ray Titles to Only $9.99″

Strong new releases had the Blu-ray market share up a little to 14% and revenue up 50% to $30.62M for the week ending March 7th, according to Home Media Magazine.

The top seller was easily the big budget disaster epic 2012 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

New releases took second and third places also, with Where the Wild Things Are from Warner Home Video and Ponyo from Disney and Studio Ghibli.

The top 5 was rounded out by Oscar winner The Hurt Locker from Summit and X-Men Origins: Wolverine from Fox Hone Entertainment.

Law Abiding Citizen from Anchor Bay is still doing well in 6th position.

On the per title market share side, 2012 did extremely well for Blu-ray with 41% market share on Blu-ray Disc in its first week.

Where the Wild Things Are also had strong sales with 28% market share while Ponyo did even better with 34% Blu-ray market share.

The Hurt Locker was also in the same range with 28% of its sales on Blu-ray Disc.

New DVD release Curious George 2: Follow that Monkey from Universal pushed things in the other direction with no Blu-ray Disc version available.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs from Fox was the big Blu-ray winner for the week though, with 60% market share on Blu-ray Disc, no doubt due to promotional pricing.

March 2nd 2010 marked the arrival of the big budget movies on Blu-ray this year, with the Sony Pictures release 2012.

This epic disaster movie ponders if mankind even has a future after cataclysmic events from an ancient Mayan prophecy.

The sun has gone into a new strange phase and neutrinos are heating the Earth’s core at an alarming rate.

Lakes are drying up and Los Angeles is suffering small tremors on a regular basis.

Meanwhile author turned limo driver Jackson Curtis is taking his family out on a camping trip, only to discover ‘the truth’ from a rambling crackpot radio announcer.

Can Jackson and his family escape the destruction as Los Angeles slides into the Pacifc?

Will they uncover the obligatory international government conspiracy to protect the wealthy and elite from the end of times?

Certainly the film makers have gone to great lengths here to present an exciting movie, but in reality it runs too long and the destruction of the planet’s icons becomes monotonous after a while.

They could easily have slashed millions off the special effects budget by making a tighter two hour movie.

In addition, while sometimes it is fun to turn the brain off and munch on the popcorn, this movie took the suspension of belief thing to a whole new level - so much so that it just fails to be even close to credible.

On the other hand, this film features top notch practical and computer generated special effects which are on a scale never previously seen.

The cast is also a pretty decent ensemble,  including John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson and Chjwetel Ejiofor.

2012 was directed by Roland Emmerich, famous for epic special effects movies including The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day, as well as factually loose period pieces like The Patriot.

Emmerich promises that this will be his last disaster flick.

The movie was given a a bit of a hard hard time by critics - it earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 39% and IMDb score of 6.1/10, which I think is a pretty fair assessment.

2012 had a strong run at the cinema, reaching $166.1M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 22 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1.

The movie looks great, as you would expect from such a high budget production.

For full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc, check out the details page for 2012.

The main audio is lossless DTS-HD Master Audio with 5.1 channels - 24 bits resolution at 48 kHz.

The disc is a dual layer BD50, with 41.7 GB used and is coded for All Regions.

Supplements for this title include Bonus View Picture in Picture streams and BD Live Network features.

The BD exclusive movieIQ feature allows movie details to be researched as the movie plays.

The Picture-in-Picture option features the director’s Vision, including pre-visualization, storyboards and behind-the-scenes footage, as well as interviews with cast and crew.

The first disc also features a commentary with writer/director Roland Emmerich and co-writer Harald Kloser.

Additionally an alternate ending that is a little more sugar coated than the theatrical version is present on the first disc.

Most of the special features are on the second dedicated supplemental disc.

There is a small selection of deleted scenes where good choices to be removed from the movie.

BD Java is put to good use in the Interactive Mayan Calendar where you can enter a date to reveal your horoscope and find your Mayan personality profile based on your birth date.

There is also a short featurette that covers the Mysteries of the Mayan Calendar and the extensive cycles that it includes.

The Designing the End of the World featurette is the main making of documentary, and it largely covers the computer generated and practical special effects that were combined to form the images on the screen.

In a lot of ways a film buff will likely find this segment is more interesting than the movie itself, especially with the scale of the practical effects used to give the film a feeling of authenticity.

The history and nature of the director is covered in the Roland Emmerich: Master of the Modern Epic featurette

The Science Behind the Destruction featurette looks into potentially plausible real causes for the disasters presented in the film.

The actors in the film take center stage in the The End of the World: The Actor’s Perspective featurette, which covers the casting and the challenges of acting in this kind of movie.

The Countdown to the Future featurette investigates the potential for the the end of the real world in 2012 due to increasingly unusual solar activity and the phases of Mayan calendar.

The Time For Miracles music video by Adam Lambert of American Idol fame is included along with a ‘making of’ feature for the video.

The Digital Copy for PSP is actually included on the supplemental Blu-ray Disc and is transferable to the PSP via a PlayStation3.

A separate DVD disc contains the Digital Copy for iTunes and Windows Media.

Whether you consider it an amazing disaster epic or an amazingly epic disaster, the two disc edition of 2012 is a great Blu-ray Disc release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Even if the movie isn’t all that appealing to you, this disc is an excellent choice for demonstrating the capabilities of Blu-ray Disc and your home theater system.

The retail price is $39.95, or order it right now at Amazon for $24.99, saving 37%!

If you are not interested in all of the special features and the digital copy, you can find the 2012 Single Disc Version for a little less at $23.99, though I think the extras are worth the extra $1 myself.

Extras:

• movieIQ
• Picture-in-Picture: Roland’s Vision (BD Exclusive) – Includes pre-visualization, storyboards and behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with filmmakers, cast and crew
• Commentary with Writer/Director Roland Emmerich & Co-Writer Harald Kloser
• Alternate Ending
• Interactive Mayan Calendar (BD Exclusive) – Enter a date to reveal your horoscope and personality profile
• Mysteries of the Mayan Calendar featurette
• Designing the End of the World featurette
• Roland Emmerich: Master of the Modern Epic featurette
• Science Behind the Destruction featurette
• The End of the World: The Actor’s Perspective featurette
• Deleted Scenes
• Countdown to the Future
• “Time For Miracles” Music Video by Adam Lambert
• Making the Music Video “Time For Miracles” with Adam Lambert
• Digital Copy for PSP – included on the Blu-ray and transferable via the PlayStation®3
• Digital Copy for iTunes and PC

Synopsis:

From Roland Emmerich, director of The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day, comes the ultimate action-adventure film, exploding with groundbreaking special effects. As the world faces a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions, cities collapse and continents crumble. 2012 brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors. Starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Woody Harrelson and Danny Glover.

Right now you can save an extra $30 on the refurbished Sony BDPS360 Blu-ray Disc Player, now only $89.99 at Sony Style!

It is not often that you see a Sony player discounted to under $100.

This promotion ends March 13th.

The Blu-ray Cover Art Gallery for the week of the 7th of March 2010 features the first Paramount title in a little while - Up in the Air is a great little film and well worth a look.

Other day and date titles for today from Sony and Disney both include DVD and Digital Copy, though neither Planet 51 nor Old Dogs were well received by the critics.

On the more dramatic side, Lionsgate has Precious and The Stoning of Soraya M., while Sony goes with a family movie Hachi: A Dog’s Tale and ultraviolence with The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.

Click on any cover to see the details for the title.

An intriguing new release this month is the animated Blu-ray title Ponyo, released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on March 2nd, 2010.

While we have seen Japanese animation released through Bandai and Funimation, I think this is one of the few cases where we have a major studio behind the genre.

In fact it would not surprise me to see Disney hoping to add another ‘Pixar’ to their animation stable.

Ponyo was produced by by Studio Ghibli in Japan, though it has also had an English audio overhaul for the US release of the movie.

The movie is loosely based on the Hans Christian Anderson story The Little Mermaid, and features the story of a goldfish with a human face who escapes her father and befriends a young human boy Sozuke.

Sozuke names her Ponyo and the two become close friends.

While Ponyo’s father seeks to return her to the sea, Ponyo has other ideas and ultimately wants to become a human child.

Through Ponyo’s defiance and magic potions, huge storms envelop the region and disaster looms, with Ponyo and Sozuke holding the key to restoring balance to the oceans.

The film is a little ‘trippy’ and off the wall, though is great little story and is suitable for family members of all ages.

The animation style is colourful and bright, and overall I found it to be a fun film to watch.

Disney obviously put a lot of effort into the voice casting for the English soundtrack, with Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas voicing the main characters.

Adult voices were provided by Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Cloris Leachman, Lily Tomlin and Betty White.

Ponyo was directed by Hayao Miyazaki, who won the 2002 Best Animated Film Oscar for his movie Spirited Away.

The movie was very well received by critics - it earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92% and IMDb score of 7.9/10.

Ponyo also had a small run in US cinema, reaching $15.1M at the domestic box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 22.5 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

The Blu-ray presentation of the animation looks both colourful and sharp.

Find full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc at the details page for Ponyo.

The main audio is lossless DTS-HD Master Audio with 5.1 channels - 16 bits resolution at 48 kHz.

You can also watch with the original Japanese soundtrack with subtitles in English.

The disc is a dual layer BD50, with 44.3 GB used and is coded for All Regions.

This title comes with a good selection of supplements, including Bonus View Picture in Picture video.

The World Of Ghibli is an extensive feature that has two main sections.

One is a collection of behind the scenes featurettes, interviews and trailers, while the other is a more interactive Java based program with sections for a number of the Ghibli movies.

One of the interactive sequences asks you a series of questions and identifies which Ponyo character you are most like and tells you why.

Apparently I am most like Ponyo - must be the round belly!

It is nice to see the BD Java being put to good use on this release.

The Meet Ponyo featurette presents an introduction by the US producers through interviews and segments from the film.

The original storyboard presentation of the movie can be seen in an optional picture in picture window as the movie runs.

The package also includes a DVD of the movie for legacy DVD players.

It is great to see Japanese animation getting a wider release and no doubt if it is successful in the US market, we will see more Studio Ghibli titles from Disney.

Ponyo is also is another strong Blu-ray release from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

The retail price is $39.99, and it is available at Amazon for $24.99, saving 38%!

While Ponyo was the only Blu-ray Disc released from Ghibli, new special edition DVDs for Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro were released on the same day.

Extras:

• The World Of Ghibli: Visit Ponyo In This Extraordinary Interactive Experience!
• Meet Ponyo: Introduction By The Producers
• Storyboard Presentation Of The Movie

Synopsis:

Welcome to a world where anything is possible! Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki (2002, Best Animated Feature, Spirited Away) and legendary filmmaker John Lasseter together with Disney bring to life a heartwarming and imaginative telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale The Little Mermaid. A young boy named Sosuke rescues a goldfish named Ponyo, and they embark on a fantastic journey of friendship and discovery before Ponyo’s father, a powerful sorcerer, forces her to return to her home in the sea. In her quest to become human and reunite with Sosuke, Ponyo stumbles upon and releases her father’s magical Water of Life and triggers a gigantic storm. Now balance must be restored to the world they all cherish. Ponyo will delight your family with its magnificent animation and timeless story.

Best Buy has a number of new Blu-ray promotions this week, including Half Off, Oscar titles and movies from $10.99.

Titles at $10.99 include Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Dark City, Blow, The Perfect Storm, The Lost Boys and Final Destination.

As always you can order online and have them shipped or pick them up in store.