Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Steven Spielberg Director’s Collection (Universal Studios)
Built upon the works of one of our most popular directors, this box is especially welcome if you never picked up any of the four previously-released mega-hits inside: Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park and its first sequel. New to Blu-ray is the other half: Spielberg’s first foray into features (the made-for-TV Duel), an overlooked early gem (The Sugarland Express), an underappreciated kinda-classic… and, well, Always¸ his long-pursued remake of A Guy Named Joe. All look and sound terrific, as we would hope. Extras vary greatly from title to title, but exclusive to this box is the handsome little ride-along book of art, photos and facts.

The real treasure here might be the notorious 1941: A less-than-perfect Extended Version was first assembled for a 1983 ABC TV airing, and that became a sort of de facto edit for future home entertainment releases. Not until this Blu-ray was a properly, elegantly post-produced edition undertaken, yielding a vastly superior 146-minute “Director’s Cut.” In addition to reinstated scenes that make Bobby DiCicco’s Wally essentially the main character in this wild ensemble, countless Spielberg-approved audio edits and restored/remixed music cues—some subtle, some previously unheard and all improvements—-revamp this film for today’s best home theaters while finally giving audiences a look (and listen) at the 1941 that might have been in ‘79, following up his back-to-back smashes Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. (The 119-minute theatrical cut is included as well, via seamless branching, unavailable since the VHS era.)

The Complete Jacques Tati (The Criterion Collection)
With only a handful of movies to his credit, hyphenate French filmmaker Jacques Tati is still considered one of the most revered practitioners of movie comedy. A master of the sight gag with impeccable timing, vaguely like Chaplin yet more subdued, Tati created his signature persona, the endearing Monsieur Hulot, a clueless chap yet one resigned to the notion that the world moves on if he’s ready or not. His six feature films are all here: Jour de fête, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Mon oncle, PlayTime, Trafic, and Parade, along with seven Tati-relevant shorts on a bonus disc. All have been newly restored, with uncompressed audio and multiple versions of several titles, alternate English soundtracks and fresh English subtitle translations. The set also includes introductions for some from admirer and Monty Python alum Terry Jones, archival Tati interviews, a 1989 Monsieur Hulot documentary, expert “visual essays” and analysis, and a vintage TV special. It all arrives inside another beautifully designed Criterion box with an extensively researched companion booklet.

The Sopranos, The Complete Series (HBO)
Nothing but love for the dragons, but I sure I’m not alone in the opinion that the indelible The Sopranos remains the show that HBO is most closely associated with. Forging new ground by putting a loathsome-yet-sympathetic center into an adults-only weekly drama, David Chase’s tale of a dysfunctional New Jersey crime family rocked the small screen from its very first season, and kept us talking long after the final shot. Now, a decade-and-a-half later, every shock, every twist and every moment of despicable behavior is back, in high definition for the first time. (The first and last seasons alone had been previously released on Blu-ray over a three-year period.)

Cast/crew roundtables, deleted scenes and more than two dozen episode audio commentaries are here from past editions, plus the new Defining a Television Landmark, featuring interviews with Chase, his actors (including the late James Gandolfini) and experts on the enduring significance of this game-changing series. All 86 episodes are also included as a Digital HD Copy, redeemable via different online services.

Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection (Warner) (Amazon-Exclusive until 12/2/14)
Still one of the most revered and emulated filmmakers, Stanley Kubrick was a perfectionist and a true artist of the medium. The eight films in this Collection span the final 37 years of his career and life, from Lolita (1962) to Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987), and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). None appear to be new masters in this numbered, limited edition box, rather the occasion is the unprecedented access granted Warner to the very private director’s archives by Kubrick’s widow Christiane. The results are twofold: the set’s new companion book, full of never-before-shared photos and insights, and the new documentary Kubrick Remembered, with Mrs. K essentially guiding us through Stanley’s personal and professional stomping grounds, New-to-Blu is the shorter Stanley Kubrick in Focus (2012), wherein collaborators and luminary devotees discuss his distinctive style, and the new-to-the-U.S. Once Upon a Time… A Clockwork Orange. Also included are O Lucky Malcolm! about Clockwork star Malcom McDowell and 2001’s ever-popular Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures.