Christmas time was extra special for comedy fans, with the arrival of the Miramax Blu-ray release Extract on December 22nd, 2009.

Extract is a subtle indie comedy, something I would equate with the likes of Adventureland or even Juno.

In fact the cast of Extract includes players from both of the aforementioned movies.

On the Juno side, Jason Bateman and J.K. Simmons take the roles of the management in an extract manufacturing plant.

Bateman’s character Joel is very reminiscent of previous roles he has played, as he tries to manage his company and his home life.

Kristen Wiig from Adventureland is Joel’s wife, seemingly contented, though the two don’t share much affection due to Joel’s heavy workload.

On the surface things are going fairly well for Joel, until his stoner friend Dean (Ben Affleck) leads him down a road where he tries to set his wife up with a gigolo to allow him some guilt free indiscretion of his own with a new employee (Mila Kunis) that is in fact a con artist aiming to cash in on an industrial accident at the plant.

While it all sounds a little convoluted, the plot is quite fun and plays out honestly.

Extract was written and directed by Mike Judge, the man behind Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill and Office Space.

One of the great things about Judge’s work is that most of his characters really are just regular folk that a lot of us can relate to.

The movie received a mixed critical reaction, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 63% and IMDb score of 7/10.

Extract also earned $10.8M 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 1.85:1.

Full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc can be seen at the details page for Extract.

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

The disc is a single layer BD25, with 22.6 GB used and is coded for Region A.

The special features are a little sparse, with a selection of deleted and extended scenes, and a making of featurette Mike Judge’s Secret Recipe.

As a fan of the indie comedy and Mike Judge’s work, I found Extract to be an enjoyable movie and the Blu-ray release is another competent from Miramax.

The retail price is $39.99, or order it right now at Amazon for $24.49, saving 39%!

Extras:

• Deleted Scenes
• Extended Scenes
• Mike Judge’s Secret Recipe Featuette - The ingredients for a classic Mike Judge film

Synopsis:

The creator of Office Space, writer-director Mike Judge (Beavis And Butt-head), moves from cubicles to the assembly line with Extract - his outrageous return to workplace comedy, featuring a hilarious ensemble cast of quirky characters. About to sell his successful flavor extract company, life is almost sweet for Joel (Jason Bateman) until a freak on-the-job accident happens. Add to that his bored wife (Kristen Wiig), his laid-back, stoner best friend (Ben Affleck), a sexy con artist (Mila Kunis) who blows into town with dollar signs in her bedroom eyes, and a dumb gigolo - and life as he knows it turns sour. Filled with laugh-out-loud one-liners and raunchy comedy, Extract is 100% pure hilarity.

The last of four martial arts movies released on September 15th by Miramax is the movie Iron Monkey.

The movie plays out almost like a cross between Hero and a Jackie Chan movie, with Kung Fu rather than sword play, though with the surreal style afforded by wire work.

The story of the movie follow the exploits of the Iron Monkey, a mystical character who is like a Chinese version of Batman crossed with Robin Hood, kicking ass and stealing from the rich and evil to provide for the poor.

The governor of the province is a greedy and corrupt man who is taking advantage of the poor working folk in order to pad his pockets.

The Iron Monkey owns the night, confounding the local police and infuriating the governer who vows to capture him at any cost.

A visiting Kung Fu master gets mixed up in the situation when he is mistakenly accused of being the Iron Monkey, and is given the option to capture the Iron Monkey or face prison.

To add to their worries, the Emperor’s official is coming to town to deal with the Iron Monkey himself, revealing even more underlying corruption, including a band of evil Shaolin Monks.

I think overall this movie is a good versus evil story, with characters having to decide which sides to choose based on integrity, rather than personal short term goals.

The cast includes Yu Rong Guang, Donnie Yen, Tsang Sze-Man, Jean Wang, Yuen Shun-Yee and James Wong.

Iron Monkey was directed by Woo-ping Yuen, who has directed a vast number of Chinese films including Wing Chun and a sequel to this film.

The movie has been well received by critics, earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of 90% and an IMDb score of 7.6/10.

Iron Monkey was also did fairly well in the cinema considering the genre, reaching $14.7M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 24 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

The image is certainly somewhat softer to my eyes than we have come to expect from Blu-ray, no doubt due to the source material.

Check out the details page for Iron Monkey to see full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc.

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

Again we only get Dolbly Digital audio for the Chinese language track.

The disc is a single layer BD25, with 22.6 GB used and is coded for All Regions.

The additional features on this title are interviews with star Donnie Yen and genre fan Quentin Tarantino.

Iron Monkey is an enjoyable release from Miramax and another that I can recommend for fans of martial arts movies.

The retail price is $39.99, or order it right now at Amazon for $25.99, saving 35%!

Extras:

• Quentin Tarantino Interview
• Donnie Yen Interview

Synopsis:

With sensational, nonstop martial arts excitement supplied by the acclaimed choreographer of The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Iron Monkey is the spirited tale of a mysterious and mythical Chinese legend! In a desperate and unjust land, where government corruption rules the day, only one man - known as the Iron Monkey - has the courage to challenge the system and fight back. Under the shadow of night, in the silence before dawn, he fights to give hope to the poor and the oppressed. Although no one knows his name or where he comes from, his heroism makes him a living legend to the people… and a wanted man to the powers that be! Presented by Quentin Tarantino - don’t miss the exhilarating action adventure that critics everywhere have called one of the greatest martial arts films of all time!

The Japanese contribution to the martial arts movie collection released on September 15th by Miramax is The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi.

The Zatoichi character featured in a very long running series of movies that started in the 1960s and ran through to the eighties with over 25 movies produced.

Throughout these films the nomadic swordsman would wander from village to village, often helping the less fortunate and dispatching the criminal element.

The character was then re-introduced for the new century with this Zatoichi movie from 2003.

The movie is indeed a stark contrast to the Chinese movies in the collection.

While the Chinese films tend to hide the results of the violence, Zatoichi often graphically presents the severed limbs and blood that results from the swordsman’s deadly blows.

While extended sword play sequences a played out in the Hero movie, Zatoichi battles are often over almost before they have begun, with a single swift blow dispatching the enemy.

Such is the way of the samurai.

The basic storyline of the new Zatoichi movie is more or less the same as the traditional ones.

Zatoichi arrives at a new village, taking the role of an unassuming masseur, and is taken in by a farming woman and her son.

When it becomes clear that the village is overun with gangs and corruption, Zatoichi lends a hand to help rid the town of the criminal element.

On the other side, the local crime boss has hired a rogue ronin, who needs money to save his ailing wife, to protect his interests.

Can the blind swordsman prevail against such odds? This is the stuff of Zatoichi.

The cast includes Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ookusu, Gadarukanaru Taka, Daigorô Tachibana, Yûko Daike, Geisha Okinu Naruto and Yui Natsukawa.

Zatoichi was directed by Takeshi Kitano, a popular actor/director in Japan who also plays the lead in the film.

The movie has had a fairly good critical response, with an IMDb score of 7.6/10.

Zatoichi also earned $1.1M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 36.5 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

Check out the details page for Zatoichi 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 44.7 GB used and is coded for All Regions.

On the special features side, there is a behind the scenes special which covers the production of the movie and exclusive interviews with crew.

Zatoichi is a good choice for fans of the samurai movies and it is great to see a Blu-ray release from Buena Vista Home Entertainment for this niche genre.

The retail price is $39.99 and you can get it at Amazon for $25.99, saving 35%!

Extras:

• Behind the Scenes Special
• Exclusive Interviews with Crew

Synopsis:

Inventive and bold, this film shines with pristine picture and theater-quality sound on Blu-ray Disc. In an empire ruled by fear, the people’s only hope is the ultimate weapon: Zatoichi (Takeshi Kitano) — a blind, nomadic samurai whose sword has made him a hero and whose courage has made him a legend. Determined to help the desperate residents of a village, Zatoichi seeks justice through revenge. It’s a wildly entertaining film that’s even more brilliant in Blu-ray High Definition.

The Legend Of Drunken Master is Jackie Chan’s contribution to the martial arts movie collection released by Dimension and Miramax through Disney on Blu-ray Disc September 15th.

This movie is almost the polar opposite of the Hero movie, with a strong focus on the actual true life Kung Fu capabilities of the star Jackie Chan.

Legend of the Drunken Master is a Kung Fu movie in the true sense, with fight sequences throughout that will boggle your mind.

Jackie Chan is famous for his speed and style, and for doing his own stunts, which in this movie includes crawling over hot coals!

In addition to traditional Kung Fu, this movie shows a style called drunken boxing, where the drunken master’s movements become unpredictable and his pain threshold is boosted by the alcohol.

Certainly for me the sequences with the drunken boxing are the most fun in this movie.

Otherwise the movie is fairly typical for Jackie Chan - the plot involves the evil imperialists stealing the treasures of the Chinese people, with Jackie’s character Wong Fei-hung being their only hope to stop the bad guys and save the day.

This movie is certainly an Asian film, and some of the stereotypes we see in the movie might come across as politically incorrect to we ‘elightened’ westerners.

In addition to Jackie Chan, the cast includes Lung Ti, Anita Mui, Felix Wong, Lau Kar-Leung, Ken Lo and Andy Lau.

The Legend Of Drunken Master was directed by Chia-Liang Liu and Jackie Chan, who are the men behind a large number of these types of movies.

The movie has been well received by critics - it earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 82% and IMDb score of 7.6/10.

The Legend Of Drunken Master was also earned $11.6M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an VC-1 1080p encode at 22 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.

Full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc are available at the details page for The Legend Of Drunken Master.

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

While the original Chinese audio is not included, it is pretty clear that even the English sequences in the movie are dubbed, and that there was no actual production sound recorded.

The disc is a dual layer BD50, with 26.8 GB used and is coded for All Regions.

The only additional feature on this one is Behind the Master: An Interview with Jackie Chan.

The Legend Of Drunken Master is really a fun movie and a recommended release from Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

The retail price is $39.99, or order it right now at Amazon for $25.99, saving 35%!

Extras:

• Behind the Master: An Interview with Jackie Chan

Synopsis:

The action legend himself - Jackie Chan (Shanghai Noon, Rush Hour) - explodes across the screen in a power-packed adventure that critics agree captures some of the most incredible action stunts ever! When the British government is discovered smuggling precious Chinese artifacts out of the country, folklore hero Wong Fei Hong (Chan) uses his uniquely outlandish style of martial arts… Drunken Boxing… to fight the conspirators and salvage the valuables before it’s too late! And the more Hong drinks, the more agile he becomes - able to fend off numerous attacks with unbelievable moves! With Chinese treasures and family pride on the line, Hong steps up to every challenge in this fun and unstoppable entertaining hit!

The well known Chinese sword play movie Hero is is one of four martial arts movies released on Blu-ray on September 15th by Miramax through Disney.

The movie itself highlights the ‘art’ side of martial arts and takes the genre to a whole new level.

As noted the movie is based largely around sword play, and tends towards the surreal rather than reality, with a lot of wire work being used to fly and float the characters during the battle scenes.

The artistic aspect of the fighting sequences is also highlighted by drawing comparisons between the fighting style and styles of music and calligraphy.

Visually the movie is very powerful with an amazing synergy between the cinematography and set design.

Vivid colours are often used to give the different segments a distinctive style, and there is a lot of flowing material like cloth, water and fallen leaves used to create a mesmerizing visual experience.

While perhaps this is the most salient aspect of the movie, the storyline is also an interesting study into what comprises a hero.

The film opens with our nameless hero, who has successfully defeated the king’s would be assassins and as a reward he is granted an audience with the king.

During this audience he recounts the story of how he defeated each of these expert assassins to become the hero of the land.

The plot thickens however when the king begins to question the hero’s version of the events.

Hero is perhaps the most well known movie for martial arts favorite Jet Li, who has also featured in a number of western movies like Kiss of the Dragon and Lethal Weapon 4.

The cast also includes Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Ziyi Zhang.

Hero director Yimou Zhang has helmed a number of Chinese movies including Curse of the Golden Flower, but is perhaps most famous for his contributions to the Olympics in Beijing.

The movie was a critical success, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95% and IMDb score of 8/10.

Hero was also did fairly well in the cinema for a foreign film, reaching $53.7M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 36.5 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.

The details page for Hero has a selection of full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc.

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

On the down side, if you are  fan of watching films in original language with subtitles, the Chinese audio is presented in lossy Dolby Digital encoded at 640 kbps.

Personally I would perfer to see the original soundtrack presented with lossless audio also.

The disc is a dual layer BD50, with 35.8 GB used and is coded for All Regions.

Supplemental features include a Digital Copy for both Windows and iTunes, and a DBox code for those with a motion chair.

A look behind the scenes is presented in the Hero Defined ‘making of’ featurette.

Inside The Action is an interview with star Jet Li by Quentin Tarantino, and we get a closer study of the action sequences in Close-Up Of A Fight Scene.

A storyboard to screen comparison is presented for a selection of scenes.

Lastly there is a spot advertising the movie soundtrack.

Hero is a great movie and for me a welcome release from Miramax.

The retail price is a little high at $44.99, though you can order it at Amazon for $29.99, saving 33%!

Synopsis:

Master filmmaker Quentin Tarantino presents Hero - starring martial arts legend Jet Li in a visually stunning martial arts epic where a fearless warrior rises up to defy an empire and unite a nation! With supernatural skill…and no fear…a nameless soldier (Jet Li) embarks on a mission of revenge against the fearsome army that massacred his people. Now, to achieve the justice he seeks, he must take on the empire’s most ruthless assassins and reach the enemy he has sworn to defeat! Acclaimed by critics and honored with numerous awards, Hero was nominated for both an Oscar and Golden Globe!

This week I am trying something new - a cover art gallery for titles released this week.

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

A fun smaller movie released this past week was the Miramax title Adventureland that streeted August 25th.

The story follows James, who finds out that his parents have fallen on tough times and his plans of a summer trip to Europe are replaced by a need to get a summer job to help pay for grad school.

The only job he qualifies for is at the local run down theme park which is staffed by an odd range of characters.

Along with his friend Frigo, he makes friends with fellow employees Joel, Lisa P and Em, the latter of which he develops a crush on.

Things become additionally complicated though, due largely to the handy man Mike Connell, who has a taste for younger women.

All in all, the movie portrays a story of a really crappy summer job that turns out to be a very transformative period in James’ life.

The performances are very natural in this character driven movie and the cast includes Jesse Eisenberg, Ryan Reynolds and Kristen Stewart from Twilight.

Additionally Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader did a great job as the managers of the theme park.

The soundtrack is loaded with music from the eighties, including artists like David Bowie, INXS and Lou Reed.

Adventureland was written and directed by Greg Mottola, who directed Superbad - a fact which is well advertised.

It should be noted though that while Adventureland is enjoyable, it is significantly more subdued than Superbad.

The critical reception to the movie was strong - it earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 88% and IMDb score of 7.5/10.

Adventureland failed, however, to convert this into ticket sales in the cinema, earning only $16M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 31.5 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

Check out the details page for Adventureland 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 38.4 GB used and is coded for Region A.

Special features are numerous and include a Digital Copy for both iTunes and Windows Media.

There is a selection of deleted scenes and a feature commentary with Writer/Director Greg Mottola and Actor Jesse Eisenberg.

Just My Life: The Making Of Adventureland is a behind the scenes look at the production of the film.

A bunch of mock instructional videos are presented in Welcome To Adventureland.

You can learn about hot 80’s clothing in Lisa P’s Guide To Style.

Frigo’s Ball Taps is an amusing piece about Matt Bush’s character who likes to tap his friends in the balls.

Adventureland is a nice little movie and the Blu-ray release from Miramax is one I can recommend.

The retail price is $44.99, or order it right now at Amazon for $25.99, saving 42%!

Extras:

• Frigo’s Taps
• Lisa P’s Guide To Stlye
• Welcome To Adventureland
• Deleted Scenes
• Just My Life: The Making Of Adventureland
• Feature Commentary With Writer/Director Greg Mottola And Actor Jesse Eisenberg
• Picture Music Selection

Synopsis:

From the director of Superbad comes Adventureland, “a smart, witty comedy” (Kyle Smith, New York Post) we can all relate to. When James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) has to cancel his dream summer vacation and make some money for grad school, the only job he can get is at Adventureland, a tacky amusement part where the games are rigged and the rides make you hurt. But it’s where he meets Em (Kristen Stewart, Twilight) and his rollercoaster ride to nowhere turns into the best summer ever. Filled with a carnival of colorful characters and set to a killer soundtrack, Adventureland is “the kind of adventure we could all use more of”. (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times)

Disney has some new announcements that will no doubt excite Kevin Smith fans.

Chasing Amy        is planned by Miramax for November 17th.

Retail will be $39.99, only $27.95 at Amazon.

Miramax is also releasing Clerks        on the same day.

Retail is set at $39.99, pre-order at Amazon for only $27.95.

Remember that these two were shot on 16mm film so don’t expect the image quality we see on modern 35mm movies.

I am also a little troubled by Disney’s pricing as of late - it seems that they have bumped their prices up on some Blu-ray releases.

I am now wondering how widespread this will be…!

Sling Blade is another classic Blu-ray catalog title released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on August 4th, 2009.

Sling Blade was the break out movie for Billy Bob Thornton, winning the 1996 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Billy Bob of course also plays the main character Karl, a mentally backward man who has been in an institution for 25 years after killing his mother and her lover.

After being released from the institution Karl must try to join a society that he has never known.

He is befriended by a solo mother Linda and her son Frank, and starts to live in her garage.

Things start to unravel though with Linda’s abusive boyfriend, who despises Karl and also her gay boss Vaughan.

Simply describing the plot doesn’t do the film justice though - this movie is mesmerizing and Billy Bob’s performance is stunning.

You get drawn into the movie’s ‘Karl like’ pacing, and combined with the score by Daniel Lanois, this almost leaves you in a trance like state by the end.

Aside from Billy Bob Thornton, the cast includes Dwight Yoakam, John Ritter, Robert Duvall and a cameo appearance from art house director Jim Jarmusch.

Though mostly known as an actor, Billy Bob Thornton also directed Sling Blade and went on to direct All the Pretty Horses.

The movie was extremely well received by critics, earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95% and and IMDb score of 8/10.

Sling Blade earned $24.4M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 24.5 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

Check out the details page for Sling Blade 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 49.3 GB used and is coded for All Regions.

As you can see the disc is literally packed full with extras, many of which no doubt produced for the 10th Anniversary DVD.

The Mr. Thornton Goes To Hollywood featurette runs roughly an hour and Bravo Profiles: Billy Bob Thornton is also included.

There are many interviews including a round-table discussion, an interview with Billy Bob Thornton and Robert Duvall, and an interview with Billy Bob Thornton and Composer Daniel Lanois.

In The Return Of Karl we see Billy Bob take on the Karl character and play Karl for several minutes, ending with well deserved applause from the crew.

The On The Set featurette offers a look into the making of the movie.

Doyle’s Dead is a short piece that was intended to be included after the credits - the piece is introduced by Billy Bob, where he explains what it was intended to be and why it was omitted.

Lastly there is also an audio commentary from Billy Bob Thornton.

Sling Blade is an excellent catalog release of a great movie by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and a ‘must have’ release for fans of solid drama films.

The retail price is $34.99, or order it right now at Amazon for $23.99, saving 31%!

Extras:

• Mr. Thornton Goes To Hollywood
• Bravo Profiles: Billy Bob Thornton
• Roundtable Discussion
• A Conversation With Billy Bob Thornton And Robert Duvall
• A Conversation With Robert DuVall
• A Conversation With Billy Bob Thornton And Composer Daniel Lanois
• The Return Of Karl
• On The Set: Billy Bob At Work, Doyle’s Band: The Johnsons, Doyle Gets Pummeled
• Doyle’s Dead - With Billy Bob Introduction
• Feature Commentary By Writer/Director/Actor Billy Bob Thornton

Synopsis:

25 years after committing an unthinkable crime, a quiet man named Karl (Thornton) is finally returning home. Once there, he is befriended by a fatherless boy and his mother. But when his newfound peace is shattered by the mother’s abusive boyfriend (Grammy winner Dwight Yoakam), Karl is suddenly placed on a collision course with his past! Also featuring Robert Duvall (Open Range), John Ritter (Bad Santa) and J.T. Walsh (Breakdown) - Sling Blade is an unforgettable movie experience!

Universal is releasing individual Fast Furious catalog titles timed with the release of the new Fast & Furious Blu-ray Disc.

The Fast and the Furious        has been scheduled for a July 28th 2009 release.

Retail will be $29.98, only $20.99 at Amazon.

Universal Studios also has 2 Fast 2 Furious        on July 28th. Again only $20.99 at Amazon.

Lastly watch for The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift        on July 28th, pre-order at Amazon for only $20.99.

DreamWorks is planning to release the recent comedy I Love You, Man        on August 11th, 2009.

Retail has been set at $39.99, bargain hunters will find it at Amazon for only $27.99.

Adventureland        has been freshly listed by Miramax, scheduled for a August 25th, 2009 release.

This one will feature a digital copy included in the package.

The retail price is $44.99, you can pre-order it at Amazon for only $33.99.