If you have not heard already, be sure to not operate your ‘fat’ Playstation 3 until advised that it is ok by Sony.

Last night a new bug manifested itself  that renders the old style PS3’s for the most part inoperable.

Sony expects to have a fix soon, and advises that it is best to avoid using the older PS3’s until the fix is available.

The newer slim Playstation 3 units are not affected.

Sony is aiming to help folks update their Blu-ray player to the latest networked enabled version.

Save 25% on the Sony Network Blu-ray Disc Player (BDPN460) with the coupon code SONYBDPN460.

This will bring the price down to just $149.99.

This offer is valid from February 28th until March 6th.

Continuing the biographical theme, February 9th marked the Blu-ray release of the Magnolia Home Entertainment title Bronson.

This British film is based on the life of Britain’s most violent prison inmate Michael Peterson, who later adopts the name Charles Bronson.

This film is no ‘ordinary’ biopic though, as it switches between reenactments of Bronson’s life and a surreal theatrical narration of the events, which somehow feels very fitting for this larger than life character.

While Michael Peterson’s original sentence for robbing a Post Office of a little under 30 pounds, his violent behavour in prison has led to him being shifted from prison to asylum to prison, spendng less than 5 months of his life in since 1974 as a free man.

Due to his penchant for hostage taking, Peterson has also spent most of his prison time in solitary confinement.

Charles Bronson is still alive and incarcerated, and will probably never see the film about his own life.

The film is a very interesting watch - both violent and artistic in equally extreme measures - certainly an interesting approach that entertains and offers insight into the psyche of Bronson.

The main character is portrayed by Tom Hardy, who not only did an amazing job capturing the essence of the character but also underwent significant physical training in order to properly represent Charles Bronson.

Additionally the cast includes Hugh Ross, Juliet Oldfield, Jonny Philips, James Lance, Amanda Burton, Matt King and Kelly Adams.

Bronson was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, who also directed the Pusher series of films.

The movie was pretty well received by critics - it earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 78% and IMDb score of 6.6/10.

Bronson had a small run at the cinema, reaching $105k at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 34 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

It is great to see Magnolia giving this title the bitrate needed to represent the significant film grain.

Since a lot of the film was shot on 16mm film, don’t expect the sharpest of image for this title.

See the details page for Bronson for full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc.

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 34.3 GB used and is coded for All Regions.

Again, well done to Magnolia for choosing to go to a dual layer disc for this title - one of their few.

There are quite a decent number of supplements for this title, including BD Live Network connectivity.

Perhaps the most interesting are the Charles Bronson Monologues, featuring audio recordings of the real Charles Bronson which caused some consternation when they were played at the premiere since the prison system had no knowledge of how they were made.

Production details are offered in both a Making Of featurette and some fairly raw Behind The Scenes footage.

The extent of Hardy’s efforts to bulk up to play the lead role is documented in the Training Tom Hardy faeturette.

Further insight into the film making comes with extensive interviews with director Nicholas Winding Refn, and actors Tom Hardy and Matt King

The film’s Trailer is also included.

I found Bronson to be a pretty interesting film and one I can recommend to fans of something outside of the Hollywood norm.

This is certainly a great choice of release from Magnolia Home Entertainment and they have put together a pretty solid release here.

The retail price is $29.98, or order it right now at Amazon for $17.99, saving 40%!

Extras:

• Charles Bronson Monologues
• Making Of
• Training Tom Hardy
• Interviews With: Nicholas Winding Refn, Tom Hardy, and Matt King
• Behind The Scenes
• Trailer

Synopsis:

In 1974, a misguided 19-year-old named Michael Peterson (Tom Hardy) decided he wanted to make a name for himself and so, with a homemade sawed-off shotgun and a head full of dreams, he attempted to rob a post office. Swiftly apprehended and originally sentenced to seven years in jail, Peterson has subsequently been behind bars for 34 years, 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement. Shot from an intelligent, provocative and stylized approach, Bronson follows the metamorphosis of Mickey Peterson, who nicknamed himself Charles Bronson, into Britain’s most dangerous prisoner.

Amazon has a pair of Fox Blu-ray Box Sets discounted by $84 today.

Right now you can pick up the Planet of the Apes 40th Anniversary Collection for only $45.99 and The Mel Brooks Collection for only $55.99.

These prices represent savings of 60% or more off retail - a great chance to add these deluxe packaged movie collections to your collection.

Amazon has listed a new promotions with extensive savings on recent Fox Blu-ray titles.

Titles in the promotion are currently only $12.99 and include (500) Days of Summer, Slumdog Millionaire, My Life in Ruins, Jennifer’s Body, I Love You, Beth Cooper and All About Steve.

This is a great opportunity to get these recent titles at a nice price.

Mostly smaller releases this week in the Blu-ray Cover Art Gallery for the week of the 21st of February 2010.

Directors Richard Kelly and Steven Soderbergh have new films out this week with The Box and The Informant! respectively from Warner Home Video.

On the cult movie side we have the first Troma title Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, and television related titles in the form of Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day and Nurse Jackie: Season 1.

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

The other biographical movie released by Fox Home Entertainment on Blu-ray February 2nd was Walk the Line - the story of Johnny Cash.

The film covers Cash’s formative years, his start in the music business and the various ups and downs of his personal life and career, up until the late sixties.

The movie chronicles Cash’s struggle with drugs and alcohol as well as more personal conflicts with his disapproving father and the death of his brother.

Perhaps needless to say, the film contains a wealth of music, including iconic tracks like Ring of Fire and of course Walk the Line.

Walk the Line features strong performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, with Witherspoon winning an Oscar for her portrayal of June Carter.

Apparently Cash himself chose Joaquin Phoenix to play himself in the movie after seeing Gladiator, and June also chose Witherspoon for her role.

Additionally he cast includes Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Shelby Lynn, Jonathan Rice, Waylon Payne and Shooter Jennings.

Walk the Line was directed by James Mangold, the man behind Girl, Interrupted, 3:10 to Yuma and Identity.

The movie was certainly will liked by critics - it earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 82% and IMDb score of 7.9/10.

Walk the Line also had a great run in the cinema, reaching $119.5M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 23 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.

See the details page for Walk the Line for full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc.

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 40.2 GB used and is coded for Region A.

The supplements include an audio commentary from director James Mangold and a selection of deleted scenes, also with an optional commentary.

The ‘making of’ featurette Celebrating The Man In Black runs 20 minutes and features interviews with the film makers, Cash’s son and friends like Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson.

Folsom, Cash & The Comeback takes a look at Johnny Cash’s legendary 1968 performance live at Folsom Prison.

The Ring Of Fire: The Passion Of Johnny & June featurette covers the relationship between June and Johnny.

The release also features extended musical sequences and the theatrical trailer.

Walk the Line is an enjoyable film and the Blu-ray release is a strong presentation from Fox Home Entertainment.

The retail price is $29.99, and available from Amazon for $19.49, saving 35%!

Extras:

• Audio Commentary By Co-Writer And Director James Mangold
• 10 Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary
• Extended Musical Sequences
• Folsom, Cash & The Comeback
• Celebrating The Man In Black: The Making Of
• Ring Of Fire: The Passion Of Johnny & June
• Theatrical Trailer

Synopsis:

Singer. Rebel. Outlaw. Hero. With his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as dark as the night, the legendary “Man in Black” revolutionized music - and forged his legacy as a genuine American icon. Golden Globe winners Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon star (and sing) as Johnny Cash and June Carter in this inspiring true story of one man’s unwavering devotion to his sound, his message and the greatest love of his life.

Best Buy has a new Blu-ray promotion this week with a $9.99 Blu-ray Disc Sale.

The sale includes 16 titles from MGM and Fox Home Entertainment.

Titles include Fargo, Dodgeball, Cast Away, Navy Seals and Speed.

For me sub-$10 is the right price for purchasing Blu-ray movies!

The promotion runs until Feb 27th and while I am not sure if the prices are valid in store, you can always order online for store pickup or price match to the website if the in store prices are higher.

The quality movies keep coming in February with the Fox Home Entertainment release The Last King of Scotland which hit shelves on Blu-ray Disc February 2nd, 2010.

The movie is an interesting approach to a biographical movie, which covers the presidency of Idi Amin in Uganda through the eyes of a fictional character who is hired on as Amin’s personal physician.

The movie is largely fictional, though it also includes some historical events.

While the murder of Amin’s second wife and the plane hijacking near the end of the story actually happened, the involvement of Dr Garrigan in these events was fictionalized.

That said the movie does a great job of showing the nature of Idi Amin, an African dictator who was equally charming and brutal.

The film does a great job of presenting the complexity of the leader, as well as his paranoia and fear for his life.

Forest Whitaker’s performance in the role of the dictator was astounding, and apparently the academy agreed since he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2007.

The cast includes James McAvoy as the doctor, as well as appearances by Gillian Anderson, David Oyelowo, Kerry Washington and Simon McBurney.

Director Kevin Macdonald cut his teeth on documentary film making with movies like Into the Void, and was a great choice to helm The Last King of Scotland.

The movie has a strong critical reception with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 87% and an IMDb score of 7.8/10.

The Last King of Scotland was also earned $17.6M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 30 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.

Expect a film-like presentation here with noticeable film grain in the transfer.

Check out the details page for The Last King of Scotland to see full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc.

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 42.2 GB used and is coded for All Regions.

The title comes with a number of extras including a director commentary and a selection of deleted scenes, also with optional commentary by Kevin MacDonald.

The documentary Capturing Idi Amin is a fascinating watch, with a lot of archival footage of the real Idi Amin and it is clear from interviews that while some considered him the devil for his brutal actions, others still admire him for his strength and ability to stand up to foreign powers - an uncommon practice for African leaders at the time.

Forest Whitaker discusses the challenges in portraying Idi Amin in a second featurette, and the Fox Movie Channel Presents segment covers the casting for The Last King Of Scotland.

A theatrical trailer rounds out the supplements.

I found The Last King of Scotland to be an excellent movie and the Blu-ray is another great release from Fox Home Entertainment.

I can thoroughly recommend this to anyone who likes a good drama or has an interest in the history of the region.

While the film is not intended to be true to all of the events, care has been taken to present the man as he really was back in the 1970s.

The retail price is $29.99, though it is available at Amazon for $20.99, saving 30%!

Extras:

• Director Commentary
• 7 Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Kevin MacDonald
• Exclusive Documentary: Capturing Idi Amin
• Forest Whitaker Idi Amin Featurette
• Fox Movie Channel Presents Casting Session - The Last King Of Scotland
• Trailer

Synopsis:

Forest Whitaker won the 2006 Oscar for his riveting portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in this powerful drama inspired by real people and events. This is Amin’s incredible story as seen through the eyes of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young Scotsman who becomes the volatile leader’s personal physician and trusted confidant.

The Blu-ray market share was only 9% for the week ending February 14th according to Home Media Magazine - the first time it has been single figures this year.

On the other hand, the revenue was a healthy $20.15M for the week.

Top seller for the week was Couples Retreat from Universal, ahead of Zombieland from Sony Pictures in 2nd place.

New release The Time Traveler’s Wife from Warner took 3rd place ahead of strong sellers Michael Jackson’s This Is It from Sony Pictures and Star Trek from Paramount.

New releases A Serious Man from Universal, The Stepfather from Sony and Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic from Anchor Bay placed 12th, 13th and 15th place respectively.

Looking at per title market share, the top sellers were a little lower this week, with Couples Retreat at 19% and The Time Traveler’s Wife at 10% Blu-ray Disc market share, while Zombieland had a healthier 27%.

The Hangover from Warner was also lower than previous weeks with ‘only’ 20% Blu-ray Disc market share.

Top performers were Inglourious Basterds from Universal with 45% market share, and Star Trek with an awesome 56%.

Looking at other new releases, The Stepfather took only 13%, while A Serious Man had 27%  and Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic 34% Blu-ray market share.

Two Top 20 DVD releases that had an adverse effect on the overall market share were The Penguins of Madagascar: Operation DVD Premiere and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Minnie’s Bow-tique, which had no Blu-ray release at all.