Five of Alfred Hitchcock’s best known movies are coming out onto a Blu-ray boxset which can act as a fine start to their Alfred Hitchcock Collection. This boxset includes a number of features, from documentaries to commentaries.
First Release
- A Good Day to Die Hard (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Warm Bodies (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Identity Theft (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Escape From Planet Earth (DVD and Blu-ray)
Re-Release
- Alfred Hitchcock: The Essential Collection (Blu-ray)
- Mad Max Trilogy (Blu-ray)
- Rope (1948) (Blu-ray)
- The Sting (1973) (Blu-ray)
- The Odd Couple (1968) (Blu-ray)
- Electra Glide in Blue (1973) (Blu-ray)
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) (Blu-ray)
- The Mummy (1932) (Blu-ray)
- The Invisible Man (1933) (Blu-ray)
- Scum (1979) (Blu-ray)
Alfred Hitchcock: The Essential Collection (Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week*
Rear Window (1954)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by John Michael Hayes (screenplay), Cornell Woolrich (story)
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr
Vertigo (1958)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Alec Coppel, Samuel A. Taylor (screenplay), Boileau-Narcejac (novel ‘D'entre les morts’)
Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
North by Northwest (1959)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Ernest Lehman
Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis
The Birds (1963)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Evan Hunter (screenplay), Daphne du Maurier (novel)
Starring: Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, Tippi Hedren
Psycho (1960)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Joseph Stefano (screenplay), Robert Bloch (novel)
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire
Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most famous and celebrated directors in film history and five of his most well-known and best received movies are coming out on a Blu-ray boxset. From Rear Window to The Birds we get a wide range of movies in the thriller and horror genres as this collection showcases why Hitchcock was a master of his craft.
Rear Window (1954)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 9.5/10
Vertigo (1958)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 98% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.6/10
North by Northwest (1959)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 9.3/10
Psycho (1960)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 97% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 9.4/10
The Birds (1963)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 96% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Rear Window Ethics: An Original Documentary; A Conversation with Screenwriter John Michael Hayes; Production Photographs; Production Notes; Re-Release Trailer Narrated by James Stewart; Theatrical Trailer; Obsessed with Vertigo: New Life for Hitchcock's Masterpiece; Feature Commentary with Associate Producer Herbert Coleman, Restoration Team Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz and Other Vertigo Participants; Original Theatrical Trailer; Restoration Theatrical Trailer; Production Notes; Foreign Censorship Ending; The Vertigo Archives; Commentary by Screenwriter Ernest Lehman; Music-Only Audio Track; Theatrical Trailer; Re-Release Trailers; Newsreel Footage: The Release of Psycho; The Shower Scene; The Psycho Archives; Production Photographs; Behind-the-Scenes Photographs; The Shower Scene: Storyboards by Saul Bass; Lobby Cards; Posters and Psycho Ads; Production Notes; Deleted Scene; The Original Ending; Storyboard Sequence; Tippi Hedren's Screen Test; The Birds Is Coming (Universal International Newsreel); Suspense Story: National Press Club Hears Hitchcock (Universal International Newsreel); Production Photographs; Production Notes; Theatrical Trailer
Amazon Price: $54.96 (Blu-ray)
The big new releases of week are the fifth entry in the Die Hard series and a movie that should soon become a cult hit Warm Bodies. Whilst people looking for re-releases there are plenty to choose from, including the Mad Max Trilogy, classic movies like The Sting and The Mummy and cult offering such as Scum.
A Good Day to Die Hard (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by John Moore
Written by Skip Woods (screenplay), Roderick Thorp (characters)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Yuliya Snigir, Radivoje Bukvić, Cole Hauser
The Die Hard series is 25 years old and one of most celebrated action series around. Unfortunately the fifth entry in the series was an unworthy way to celebrate as the movie get the ‘talents’ of John Moore (Max Payne) and Skip Woods (Hitman, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) to write and direct.
A Good Day to Die Hard sees John McClane (Bruce Willis) makes his first trip abroad when he goes to Moscow where his son, Jack (Jai Courtney, Jack Reacher) has been arrested. But John ends up interrupting a CIA operation and father and son have to pair to spot a nuclear terrorist as they try to tackle their unresolved family issues.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 15% (awful)
Metacritic Rating: 28/100 (very bad)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 4.0/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: 7 Deleted Scenes; ; Closed Caption
Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Disc 1 - Making It Hard to Die; Two of a Kind; Back in Action; The New Face of Evil; Anatomy of a Car Chase; Maximum McLane; Commentary (Extended Cut Only) by Director John Moore and First Assistant Director Mark Cotone; Still Galleries
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $18.96 (Blu-ray)
Warm Bodies (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Jonathan Levine
Written by Jonathan Levine (screenplay), Isaac Marion (novel)
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, Analeigh Tipton, Cory Hardrict, John Malkovich
Shaun of the Dead was famously advertised as a romantic-comedy with zombie (or Rom-Com-Zom if you will). Warm Bodies uses that basic idea and takes it to a new direction. 50/50’s Jonathan Levine directs and adapts Isaac Marion’s novel as Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class, Jack the Giant Slayer) stars as R, a zombie in the zombie apocalypse who falls for a young woman, Julie (Teresa Palmer, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) and unexpectedly saves her. As the pair become closer despite their differences R starts to regain his humanity: but Julie’s father (John Malkovich) is a general who harbors a deep hatred for zombies!
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 80% (very good)
Metacritic Rating: 59/100 (average)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 6.0/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Closed-Caption Boy meets, er, doesn't eat girl R&J A little less dead Extreme zombie makeover! A wreck in progress Bustin's caps Beware the boneys Whimisical sweetness: Teresa Palmer's Warm Bodies home movies Zombie acting tips with Rob Corddry Audio commentary with screenwriter/director Jonathan Levine and actors Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary with screenwriter/director Jonathan Levine Shrug & groan gag reel Theatrical trailer
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $18.96 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 4.5 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
Identity Thief (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Seth Gordon
Written by Craig Mazin (screenplay), Craig Mazin, Jerry Eeten (story)
Starring: Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthey
Identity Thief is a comedy about Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), a mild-mannered accounts rep from Denver who finds out that his identity has been stolen by Diana (Melissa McCarthey) and she has been living a life of luxury in Miami. Sandy has one week to get Diana from Miami to a judge in Denver before his world comes crashing down: but of course Diana is not going to go quietly.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 20% (awful)
Metacritic Rating: 35/100 (bad)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 4.8/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Alternate takes; The Skiptracer's van tour; Scene stealing: capturing the humor of Identity Thief; ; Additional Features:; Gag reel; The making of Identity Thief
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 1.5 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 1.5 stars, Replay 2 stars (out of 5). Rent It.
Escape From Planet Earth (DVD and 3D Blu-ray)
Directed by Cal Brunker
Written by Bob Barlen, Cal Brunker
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rob Corddry, William Shatner, Craig Robinson, Jessica Alba, George Lopez, Jane Lynch, Sofia Vergara, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Ricky Gervais, Steve Zahn
Escape From Planet Earth is the latest attempt by The Weinstein Company to distribute an animated movie. With an all-star voice cast Astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) ends up trapped on a dangerous alien planet when answering an SOS call.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 26% (very bad)
Metacritic Rating: 35/100 (bad)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Feature commentary with director Cal Brunker; The making of Escape from Planet Earth; Alternate takes and deleted scenes; How to make an animated feature with director Cal Brunker; Music featurettes with Delta Rae, Owl City and Cody Simpson
Amazon Price: $14.86 (DVD), $22.86 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3 stars, Video 5 stars, Audio 3.5 stars, Extras 3.5 stars, Replay 2 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
Mad Max Trilogy (Blu-ray)
Mad Max (1979)
Directed by George Miller
Written by George Miller, Bryon Kennedy, James McCausland
Starring: Mel Gibson. Steve Bisley, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Bryne, Tim Burns, Geoff Parry
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Directed by George Miller
Written by Terry Hayes, George Miller, Brian Hannant
Starring: Mel Gibson, Michael Preston, Bruce Spence, Vernon Wells, Kjell Nilsson, Virginia Hey, Emil Minty
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Directed by George Miller, George Ogilvie
Written by Terry Hayes, George Miller
Starring: Mel Gibson, Tina Turner
The Mad Max Trilogy is fun set of movies that made Mel Gibson and George Miller’s careers and showed the strengths of the Australian Film Industry. Set from A Clockwork Orange style dyspotia to a post-apocalyptic world caused by nuclear war, the movies follow Max Rockatansky (Gibson) from being a cop who is terrorised by a biker gang to protecting peaceful community escape from a warlord and battling a woman, Aunty Entity (Tina Turner) who wants to rebuild civilization in her own imagine.
Mad Max (1979)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 95% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 6.5/10
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 9.0/10
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 81% (very good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 5.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Mad Max - Commentary by Jon Dowding, David Eggby, Chris Murray and Tim Ridge Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon Featurette The Road Warrior - Special Features: Commentary by Director George Miller and Cinematographer Dean Semler Introduction by Leonard Maltin Theatrical Trailer
Amazon Price: $34.86 (Blu-ray)
Rope (1948) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Arthur Laurents (screenplay), Hume Cronyn (adaptation), Patrick Hamilton (play)
Starring: James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger, Joan Granger, Joan Chandler, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Douglas Dick
Rope is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most ambitious and experimental as the movie was made to look like one take and takes place in real time. This crime movie tells the story of two men, Brandon (John Dall) and Phillip (Farley Granger) who murder a former classmate and host a dinner party as a challenge to the perfection of their crime.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 97% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.0/10
DISC DETAILS
Amazon Price: $16.99 (Blu-ray)
The Sting (1973) (Blu-ray)
Directed by George Roy Hill
Written by David S. Ward
Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw
The Sting is a classic crime movie from 1973 that won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Set in Chicago in the 1930s Johnny “Kelley” Hooker (Robert Redford) is a young con artist out for revenge after his partner is killed by a ruthless mob boss, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Kelley teams up with an experienced com man, Henry “Shaw” Gondorff (Paul Newman) to rob the gangster of his fortune.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 92% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 10/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: The Art of The Sting; 3-part documentary on the creation of the film featuring interviews with Robert Redford, Paul Newman ; 100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics - An in-depth look at the intricate process of preserving the studio's film legacy; 100 Years of Universal: The '70s - A look at Universal's iconic movies and filmmakers during this dynamic decade; ; 100 Years of Universal: The Lot - A behind-the-scenes look at the movie magic created on the famous Universal Studios lot; ; Theatrical Trailer
Amazon Price: $13.99 (Blu-ray)
The Odd Couple (1968) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Gene Saks
Written by Neil Simon
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler, Herb Edelman
Based on Neil Simon’s own play, The Odd Couple is a classic comedy movie about two friends who live together after one of them, Felix (Jack Lemmon) breaks up with his wife. But their personalities clash as one of them is a neat freak and the other is a slob.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.0/10
DISC DETAILS
Amazon Price: $14.99 (Blu-ray)
Electra Glide in Blue (1973) (Blu-ray)
Directed by James William Guercio
Written by Robert Boris (screenplay), Robert Boris, Rupert Hitzig (story)
Starring: Robert Blake, Billy “Green” Bush, Mitchell Ryan, Jeannine Riley, Elisha Cook
Electra Glide in Blue is a cult movie about John Wintergreen (Robert Blake), a short motorcycle police officer who is given a chance to prove himself when he is promoted to homicide after a hermit is murdered.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 67% (very good)
DISC DETAILS
Amazon Price: $14.96 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 3 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Written by Jason Segel
Starring: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand
From the stable of Judd Apatow, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is romantic comedy starring How I Met Your Mother’s Jason Segel as Peter, a man who suffers heartbreak when his longtime girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars) with him. To get over her Peter goes on vacation to Hawaii: but shock horror, Sarah Marshall is at the resort with her new boyfriend, British rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand).
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (very good)
Metacritic Rating: 67/100 (good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.5/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Deleted and extended scenes ; Line-o-rama and Drunk-o-rama; Gag reel ; More from Crime Scene; Video diaries ; Feature commentaries with the director, producers, writers and stars
Amazon Price: $10.49 (Blu-ray)
The Mummy (1932) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Karl Freund
Written by John L. Balderston
Starring: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Edward van Sloan
The Mummy is a classic horror movie from Universal’s monsters collection. Starting in 1921 a British archaeological team discover the sarcophagus of Im-Ho-Tep (Boris Karloff), a priest who was buried alive over 3000 years ago. Im-Ho-Tep is accidental brought alive and after 10 years disguises himself as a modern Egyptian man as he searches for his lost love.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 92% (excellent)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Mummy dearest: a horror tradition unearthed; He who made monsters: the life and art of Jack Pierce; Unraveling the legacy of The Mummy; The Mummy archives; Feature commentary by Rick Baker, Scott Essman, Steve Haberman, Bob Burns and Brent Armstrong; Feature commentary by film historian Paul M. Jensen; 100 years of Universal: the Carl Laemmle era; Trailer gallery
Amazon Price: $16.09 (Blu-ray)
The Invisible Man (1933) (Blu-ray)
Directed by James Whale
Written by R.C. Sherriff (screenplay), H.G. Wells (novel)
Starring: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart
Based on a novel by H.G. Wells Claude Rains stars as Dr. Jack Griffin, a brilliant scientist who discovers the secrets of invisibility. But he ends up going insane and terrorizes the English countryside.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (excellent)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Now you see him: The Invisible Man revealed; Production photographs; Feature commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmer; 100 years of Universal: unforgettable characters; Trailer gallery
Amazon Price: $16.09 (Blu-ray)
Scum (1979) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Alan Clarke
Written by Roy Minton
Starring: Ray Winstone, Mick Ford, Julian Firth, John Blundell, Phil Daniels, Alan Igbon, Ray Burdis
Ray Winstone made his debut in the British prison movie Scum as Carlin, a young offender in who goes to a borstal (a British youth prison) and becomes the hard man so he can survive. Scum was and still a highly controversial movie for its portrayal of the prison system, the violence and racism and its rape and suicide scenes.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 75% (very good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 9.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Mastered in HD from the original 35 mm negative; Audio commentary by Ray Winstone; Interview with producers Davina Belling and Clive Parsons; Interview with writer Roy Minton; Interview with executive producer Don Boyd; EPK interview with Roy Minton and Clive Parsons; Cast memories; Original theatrical trailers
Amazon Price: $19.28 (Blu-ray)
