Out Today on DVD and Blu-ray 9/1/2009


Two epic battle-royal sorts of movies are hitting Blu-ray today and both of them are must-buys in the format. First is Mel Gibson’s classic Braveheart and the other is Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. While I like both films, I think Braveheart stands up far better of the two.

Disney Nature has released Disney Nature earth,and it is quite a spectacle to see, particularly in the Blu-ray format. Nature documentaries seem to be the perfect films for the Blu-ray format. There is a crispness to the picture couple with the majesty of the nature that makes it truly an amazing thing to witness. This one is worth the price of the Blu-ray twice over. And it’s narrated by James Earl Jones, which makes it even better. A nature documentary plus Darth Vader equals a good time.

Turner Classic Movies but out their Classic Films Collection: Murder Mysteries disc. This set is a steal. It has four films for the price of one. When you consider that the four films are The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece Dial M For Murder, you’ve got quite a nice incentive to pick this up. Sure it’s light on special features, but if you need a primer into the classic noirish murder mystery genre (or need a primer for a friend) there is no better introduction than these four films.

The guys from Spinal Tap (Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Michael McKean) put out a concert DVD of their recent acoustic tour with: Unwigged and Unplugged Live Concert DVD. These guys are funny and this disc is a charm to watch. Sure they aren’t in their Spinal Tap personas, but this is great. And as much as I like Spinal Tap, I almost think this act is more entertaining. It makes me sad I didn’t get out to see it when they were touring.

Oh, and Heroes: Season 3 comes out. Haven’t watched it yet. Not sure I’m going to.

Be sure to check out Arse-bot’s highlights and lowlights over at Examiner.com!