This Week in Lost - Final Edition?

The Complete Series of Lost, as well as the Season 6 box set, arrived on DVD and Blu-ray today. And while everything on the set has obviously been seen before, the Season 6 collection adds one extra special feature: a 12-minute epilogue that takes place after the on-island events of "The End". So, despite "The End" being... the end, this is truly the last Lost 'episode'.

Epilogue: "The New Man in Charge"

Zach says: The 12 minutes let us see a few glimpses of what Ben and Hurley are up to, although there is nothing TRULY revolationary (if that's not a word, it should be). We get a couple of answers to questions that weren't really important, or that we really already knew the answer to. "Why are there polar bears and where did they come from!?!?!?" Well, obviously the Dharma Initiative brought them to the island for research... you really couldn't figure that one out on your own?

The more important thing we see though, is Walt, and we see what things COULD possibly happen in Lost's near future, assuming there is one for the series, which isn't likely. So, it's kind of weird that they show us these things, which they aren't planning to elaborate on in any form of media. It's not that it's a bad 12 minutes of footage, but it would have been fine if they left it alone, as these don't really add anything to the mythos. But, it's still more Lost, and it's a bit tongue-in-cheek, and fun to see, but overall, it's pretty meh
Zach's Score: 7/10

JDW says: Well, I really loved "The End" and found it to be a really fitting ending to such a wonderful, smart, and mysterious series. But, not everyone was a fan of it, and I can understand that, especially with all those 'unanswered questions'. So what "The New Man in Charge" does is serves the purpose of pleasing those fans that want answers, but also rubs it in their faces.

Most the short is taken up by a lost Dharma video with Dr. Chang that talks about the origin of the polar bears on the island as well as the background behind Room 23 at the Hydra Station. At the same time Ben visits the Dharma food supply HQ, and gives the two workers there a chance to ask one question each, and when one worker asks "How does the island move?" Ben smirks and tells him he only gets one. Which was an amusing nod to those people that complained about not getting enough answers.

However, the best part of this was getting to finally see Walt again. Sure, we still don't know why he's so special, and the ending to this was so vague that really this could go anywhere, but it was great to see his character getting some sort of closure after a long absence. But seriously, all this was was a major tease. "The End" gave the series a great ending and closure, but all this short epilogue did was leave me want more. So really, is this 'the end'?
JDW's Score: 7.5/10

Overall Score: 7.3/10

While we've reviewed this 'episode' by itself, we don't have any immediate plans to review the complete series or Season 6 box sets as a whole. It's not that it wouldn't be worth your time, but it's just a lot to go through on our limited schedules, and this epilogue is the real attraction of the sets for a lot of people.

Moon Blu-ray review

My most favorite film of the summer finally gets it's home video release, as well as it's chance to finally get viewed by those who missed out on it's extremely limited release. Does Duncan Jones' fantastic debut film shine on Blu-ray just as it did in theaters? Well, that's what reading is for...

Just a fun side note, this is my second ever live-action disc purchase, seriously. The first being Star Trek; and being as this is a single disc, I'll break it down differently than I would a typical Blu-ray review.

The Movie
I could go on and on about why I loved Moon, from the compelling sense of mystery, to the great performances by Sam Rockwell, the beautifully retro sci-fi look that Duncan Jones gave the film, or even Clint Mansell's great score for the film. There's just so much to love about Moon, but it would be ridiculous for me to repeat myself, so I'll just leave a link to my original review of Moon, which was given a prestigious VFH Seal of Approval.

Anyways, visually, the movie in 1080p looks just as beautiful if not better than the small screen I saw it on in theaters. And for most people viewing this Blu-ray, it's the first time they're seeing this film, so it's nice to see it looking so good. But that's also kind of a sad fact, since Sony Pictures Classics didn't really give this film much of a media push, that the home release is the only chance most people would have had to see this critically acclaimed film, and it's become very evident in its lack of recognition in this awards season.

Commentary
There are actually two commentary tracks on the Moon Blu-ray. The first of which is between Writer/Director Duncan Jones, Director of Photography Gary Shaw, Concept Designer Gavin Rothery, and Production Designer Tony Noble. While there's a lot of neat trivial facts pointed out during this commentary, I found a lot of it was filled with these fours guys goofing off and getting a little off track or just talking over each other.

The second commentary track is just between Duncan Jones and Producer Stuart Fenegan, and is like night and day from the previous one in the sense the this one is all serious. Granted there's some joking around, but Duncan and Stuart are never speaking over each other or going off on tangents like in the other commentary track. There's some repetition of trivial facts, but granted that there's a different individual here it's understandable. Honestly, if this was the only commentary track, the set would be better off, but at least this is included instead of just the other one.

Extras
Aside from commentary there are some other special features available on this Blu-ray. But unlike the film, these are sadly mostly all in standard definition, and kind of ruin the point of having a Blu-ray in the first place. The other issue I had is the exclusivity of the special features. There are two behind the scenes videos showing the production of Moon, the first, The Making of Moon, runs over 16 minutes, but has been available for free on iTunes since mid-December. The other making of short, Creating the Visual Effects, isn't available eslewheres, but it too is short, running just over 11 minutes. They're both really interesting, sure, I had no idea all the scenes on the Moon surface were make with miniatures, RC cars and matte paintings; but the short run time and standard definition isn't really satisfying.

But there's more! There are two Q&A session with Duncan Jones included on the set. One at NASA after a screening of the film (20 minutes and HD), and another from the film's Sundance Film Festival premiere (11 minutes and HD), the latter of which includes the production staff and Sam Rockwell as well. I found both to be pretty informative regarding the film's influences and scientific background, and I'm glad the Sundance Q&A was included because it's the only part of this set with Sam Rockwell saying something about the film. But like the Making of short, the Q&A with NASA has been available since the film's release via the official Moon website, so it doesn't feel like a special inclusion here.

Lastly, included is an, unrelated to Moon, 2002 short film of Duncan Jones' called Whistle, which until now hasn't been commercially released. Like Moon, it's kind of hard to explain with delving too much into detail, but it's certainly got some smarts to it. I was a bit unsure of it at first, but I really liked it come the end, and it's nice to see Jones' leap in film making. Heck, I even got a Twitter response out of Duncan Jones just for saying that I liked it!

There's the lone trailer for Moon included here as well, along with trailers for other Sony Pictures films. BD-Live is then menu, but upon accessing it all I got was an empty menu where I supposedly should have Sony Pictures content, quite frankly I don't care though, since BD-Live is generally a forgotten feature.

Final Thoughts
I loved Moon, and I still do, there's no arguing that. In fact, I'd say it's one of most inspiring science fiction films released in the last 10 years, even if itself is inspired by numerous classic sci-fi films. Sam Rockwell is fantastic, Kevin Spacey's voice work is so fitting for a robot, Clint Mansell's score is brilliant, and Duncan Jones did a wonderful job of showing off his talent as an emerging film maker. Sure, the extras aren't the greatest, especially if you're looking for an HD experience (that's why you bought a Blu-ray player right?), but they are informative for those interested in the science and production of the film. If you missed the chance to see Moon in theaters, please, do yourself a favor and watch it on Blu-ray (or DVD if you must), this film is just fantastic!

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Be sure to read my original Moon review, in which the film was given our VFH Seal of Approval.

FLCL comes to Funimation

It's rare, and I mean RARE, that I give a crap about anime these days. It's nothing against the medium, I really liked anime back in the day, along with other animation, what ruined anime for me (and if you're a fan of ours and a fan of anime, you might want to look away)... it's the people. The fans of anime are some of the most.. I don't even know how to explain my frustration with people that ONLY like anime. I've lost interest in anime because I was annoyed with being associate with such an awful group of people that liked what I liked.

Regardless, back when I was big into anime, there was one series that really got to me, Gainax's FLCL. Even though it was just six episodes, there was something just so fantastic/imaginative/bizarre about the show that I really connected with. Sure, I might not like anime as much anymore, and I can't say I seek out new anime series anymore; but if it means anything there's only two anime series I ever bought on DVD: FLCL (yes, even at $30 per 2-episodes) and Samurai Champloo (Bebop is great, but Champloo oozes style). Not that it's an achievement, but the fact that I only bought those two kind of says something.. maybe.

Back on topic, the reason I'm rambling here is because, for whatever reason, Funimation now owns the distribution rights to FLCL, which was previously released by Synch-Point. I can't say I'm blown away or anything, but because of Synch-Point's small size, the FLCL DVDs were always incredibly hard to find, and EXPENSIVE. Now that Funimation is in control, that means wide distribution and perhaps affordability. The best news however, is that not Funimation is in control, no. The best news is that the series will be re-released on DVD (yes, all six in just one set) ... and Blu-ray! I'm not one to re-buy something just because it's on a different medium, but, if the Blu-ray contains the commentary, extras, and even more than what Synch-Point's DVDs had, I may consider it.

Man... that is like the most informal writing I've done in a long time. See what anime does to you?

See Funimation's announcement for, not too much news. And you can also visit their teaser website, for a picture.

Star Trek Blu-ray review

After years of not purchasing anything live-action on disc (DVD or otherwise), one movie finally makes me take the leap away from animation... But in the end, was it worth it? Of course it was, this is Star Trek we're talking about here, the only movie all summer I managed to see multiple times!


Disc 1
Of course, if you're buying this on Blu-ray it's because you want to see the fantastic, eleventh Star Trek feature film. The film of which, centers around the story Romulan rogue, Nero, who rips a whole in time to destroy Spock's home planet, Vulcan, and in doing so resets the timeline before The Original Series would have started. A great new cast, a great director, and not only just one of the greatest pieces of Star Trek material, but a great film in general.For a better analysis of the film, check out my original review, this way I don't repeat myself.

The disc also features audio commentary by J.J. Abrams (Director), Damon Lindelof (Producer), Bryan Burk (Producer), and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Co-Writers). The commentary is pretty interesting, though sometimes they tend to run off, not to mention a lot of what they have to say gets repeated in the second disc's numerous features. There's also BD-Live support, though as of now, there's just NASA news updates, despite the inside pamphlet's advertising of 'Exclusive Star Trek content for your Blu-ray player' which doesn't seem to be in the BD-Live section anywhere. Instead what you're left with is a lifeless, soundless menu, that features some news from NASA and a 'Picture of the Day'; nothing you'll come back for to say the least. But otherwise the film itself looks fantastic in HD and the sound is glorious; couldn't ask for anything more than that.

Disc 2
While the first disc may not seem to have much, the second is packed full of behind the scenes and documentary content. There are 10 main featurettes, and most of them have branching videos that can be access during play by an indicator, or watched separately on their own. First off is "To Boldly Go", which is a behind the scenes look at how the project got started, with interviews with Leonard Nimoy, J.J. Abrams, and the like, discussing how the film came to be. Then there's "Casting," "A New Vision," and "Starships," which all mainly focus on how The Original Series and his new film compare, and for a fan of both, such as myself, they're pretty insightful. "Aliens," "Planets," and "Props and Costumes" are the next group of videos, and while they too compare the old and new Trek, their main focus is how the physical effects of the film were made. And the last of these subject-divided behind the scenes featurettes are "Ben Burtt and the Sounds of Star Trek," which I actually found really helpful fora project I'm working on, and "Score," which obviously both focus on the sounds and music of the film.

There's still more though! One last short documentary, "Gene Roddenberry's Vision," which discusses how Star Trek, the TV show/franchise, was created and just how influential and important the series is to TV and science fiction. Then there's 9 deleted scene, yes, even the scenes with the awesome looking Klingons(!!!), all of which have commentary tracks from the same group as the film (minus Roberto Orci for whatever reason). Also included are the three theatrical trailers, and a Gag Reel, which I found really amusing, as it evoked a much similar feeling to when I watched bloopers from The Original Series, and it's just kind of charming to see these iconic roles come out of character and be human. While all of this is also on the DVD version there's only one Blu-ray exclusive extra (other than BD-Live): 3D ship-models of the U.S.S. Enterprise and the Narada, which allow you to view the ships from multiple angles and read up about the different parts. I could delve into how awesome each feature is here, but my fingers would collapse; just know there's multiple things to enjoy here, fans of the franchise or just new to the film.

Digital Copy
The Digital Copy works for PC or Mac, as it should be, and the installation is simple; but what make this different is that the disc also includes a demo of Star Trek D-A-C for Xbox 360 (oddly enough). But upon inserting he disc into the computer, you can find weblinks for PC or PSN demos of the game as well. Though, the PSN link doesn't do much on a PC besides show you Sony's game page. You'd actually have to go to the PS Store on your PS3 to that; which I did, two weeks ago, and I was unimpressed by the game. Point is, the trial being on this disc serves no purpose, since you can already get the demo otherwise. I just found it odd to see Xbox 360 labeling, on a Blu-ray set (though it is on the one DVD disc of the set, but still).

Final Thoughts
Considering how much I surprisingly (I had many doubt about recasting my favorite characters!) loved this film when it released over the summer, it seemed like a worthy addition to my movie collection, and even more worthy of the 'first live-action anything I've purchased' title. Not to mention, I was really eager to see the Klingons and other deleted scenes that I saw in the trailer but didn't make it into the final film. The extras just sweeten the deal, they're robust, informative, and it was great to see other original Star Trek cast members Walter Koenig and Nichelle Nichols talking alongside their new counterparts. I could go on and on here, but overall it's a great package whether you just got into the film or have been a long time Trek fan.

Overall Score: 9/10

On a side note, those you with a Best Buy around may still be lucky enough to pick up their exclusive collector's set that includes four replica Starfleet badges from the film. The badges themselves are awesome looking, though I wouldn't dare touch them. But it should be noted that the package you see picture is all that hold them, there's no secondary, interior case which I was saddened to find out. Because, with items so nice, a double sized cardboard box with a thin plastic window doesn't do them justice. Also, the included Blu-ray package differs slightly from the stand-alone one in that it has a 2-front covers, instead of the expected information back-cover, which instead is on paper and stuck on. I put it in the box, but It's just something I thought should be noted for those who planned on getting this set and actually watching the movie.

UP Blu-ray/DVD review

There's no denying it, I really enjoyed Disney/Pixar's latest film, UP, surprisingly more so than WALL-E (but only slightly), heck, I even gave it a VFH Seal of Approval. So of course, like WALL-E, I had to get it on Blu-ray to appreciate the film in glorious HD from the comfort of my own home.

Now, since the WALL-E Blu-ray release, Disney has taken a different approach to Blu-ray releases. Instead of the standard 2-Disc set, you have four... but there's a catch. There are two Blu-ray discs, the movie and the extras, then you have a DVD version of the film, and another disc that's used to install the Digital Copy. So really, it's two discs of real content, and 2 more of the same content. But I'll get to that later...

Blu-ray Disc 1
As assumed the main feature of this disc is obviously the actual film, UP, which in my opinion is certainly one of the best films of this past year, animated or otherwise, and by far Pixar's most mature film to date. In fact, I still can't watch the opening moments of the film (or much of the rest) without getting teared up a bit. But I won't repeat myself, if you want to read the rest of my thoughts of the film, read the original review. Most notable about the film though, is that unlike the theatrical release, this Blu-ray version is not in 3D, which doesn't really bother me since I saw it in 2D to begin with. In fact, even in the special features and commentary, the aspect of 3D isn't even brought up, showing just unnecessary the feature was for the film. But it is something to take not of for those looking to see this film in 3D again, or for the first time, because you can't.

But there's more to the disc. My personal favorite is Cine-Explore, which is a commentary track with Pete Docter and Bob Peterson that also features pop-up images as you watch the film; it's really interesting commentary and the images just enhance that experience. You also have Partly Cloudy, the short that played before UP in theaters, and a video-release exclusive short, Dug's Special Mission. Sadly, unlike WALL-E, there's no picture-in-picture storyboard feature for these shorts, and you only have the one Cine-Explore commentary, instead of two commentaries like WALL-E had.

But what this does include is a really interesting 22-minute featurette of how the creative team actually went to South America and how they based the environments of the film on this trip, and there's another interesting video of the development of the film's villain Charles Muntz. Lastly are the BD-Live features, but once again, unlike WALL-E, the BD-Live features aren't really robust, instead acting like an information channel for Disney's other releases instead of a dedicated online hub for the film. I can't say I used the feature on WALL-E very much, but the lack of proper inclusion is strange.

Blu-ray Disc 2
The second disc of this Blu-ray set is somewhat of a mixed bag. The main aspect is this series of seven short documentaries which focus on the films assorted characters and locations, about 5-9 minutes each. These range from character inspirations, character designs, the way they move, the way they act, the way they sound, and more, it's all here, and it's all really interesting and insightful, especially if you're into that aspect of film and animation, like I am.

Also on the disc is a short documentary/storyboard of an alternate take on the film's opening segment. Which I'm glad was changed to what it is in the film because this alternate take doesn't have the same emotional impact. There's also a six-minute montage of the characters floating around, two trailers for the film, and an interactive game that has you naming states and countries, with a BD-Live leaderboard. The game is OK... if you're teaching your kids geography, but most people probably won't touch it. While the documentaries are insightful, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the rest of this disc, as it's just not as jam-packed like the last Pixar release, WALL-E.

DVD
I'll say this, UP is the first film I've ever owned on two formats, because it just never made sense to me. So the fact that Disney includes a DVD with this Blu-ray set (as well as all their other recent releases) just doesn't make much sense to me. This disc features everything that's on the first disc, except Cine-Explore, instead it's just audio commentary, and overall it's just not as nice looking. Even the menus are down-scaled for the medium, using cartoon cutouts of the house and balloons, instead of the expected 3D models. I can't really hold it against this set, because really, the inclusion of this disc is completely unnecessary, but the DVD quality is just ugly in comparison to the beautiful Blu-ray quality.

Digital Copy
The last disc of this set is the Digital Copy, which thankfully unlike the Warner Bros DVDs I've been getting recently, actually works on both PCs and Macs, giving you the option to download the movie via iTunes or Windows Media Player. However, I chose not to install the disc, since, much like the DVD in this set, I just don't need it, despite being included in the standard Blu-ray pricing. When WALL-E released last year, there was a version with a Digital Copy, and one without. I chose the one without it for a reason, and I just wish such an option was available this time around.

Overall
As a film, UP is fantastic; and now that it's available to buy, there's no reason you shouldn't have this in your film collection (unless you hate puppies). If you have the means to watch Blu-rays on an HDTV, then hands-down, this is the way to go. However, those that can only get the DVD version, I'm sorry, the film in itself is still spectacular, but the DVD quality just doesn't do UP and its luscious color and detail any justice. And while the inclusion of a DVD and Digital Copy version of the film is nice (considering it's at no extra cost), it also just feels like a waste of space, since the 'Four Disc Set' being advertised is really only two, being repeated. I could continue to be negative by saying this set may not be as feature-full as WALL-E, but it certainly still has enough interesting features to keep lovers of UP, Pixar, and film/animation very happy, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Overall Score: 9/10

The Waters of Mars coming December 19th

Well consider this to be awesome news for Doctor Who fans living in America, instead of waiting a whole year to catch the upcoming Doctor Who special, "The Waters of Mars," we only have to wait a month! Yes, it's still a decent wait but, it's not the seven month gap between the UK and US airing "The Next Doctor" and the four month gap for "Planet of the Dead". This next special will be premiering on BBC America on December 19th at 9 PM ET/PT, just over a month after it plays on November 15th on BBC One in the UK .

The release from BBC America also goes on to say that David Tennant's two-part finale as The Doctor, "The End of Time," will be airing during the Holiday season, with airdates being released in early December. This two-part special will notably be what ushers in new-comer Matt Smith as the eleventh incarnation of The Doctor, with his episodes (Series 5 of the current Doctor Who series) airing sometime later in 2010.

Lastly, BBC America mentioned the DVD and Blu-ray releases of the specials, all set for release on Tuesday, February 2, 2010.

- Doctor Who: "The Waters of Mars" - DVD/Blu-ray
- Doctor Who: "The End of Time" (2-disc release) - DVD/Blu-ray
- Doctor Who: Specials Collection (5-disc release) – DVD/Blu-ray - contains "The Next Doctor," "Planet of the Dead," "Waters of Mars" and "The End of Time"

No prices were given, but if I was to go by current BBC America DVD collections pricing, I'd say they're going to be damn expensive... But the Specials Collection seems like the best buy if you already own the previous Doctor Who series' DVDs, as the specials pretty much make up their own Series 4.5.

I think it's time to start getting excited Doctor Who fans!

via BBC America on Facebook

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

With the release of DC Comics' next DC Universe direct-to-disc (because it's now DVD and Blu-ray releases) animated movie, Green Lantern: First Flight, just a week or so away, it seems that Warner Bros. is silently gearing up for their next release: Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, based on the "Public Enemies" story-arc from the first six issues of the 2003-present Superman/Batman comic series.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies website and trailer

Based on the trailer alone, I can say that this is certainly the most visually different work that DC and Bruce Timm have released in recent years. Other than Batman: Gotham Knight, which was made by anime studios, Superman-Doomsday, Justice League: New Frontier, and Wonder Woman all resembled past DC work, albeit slightly tweaked. Public Enemies (not to be confused with that new Johnny Depp as John Dillinger film...) instead aims to look like its source material, giving the character designs that very comic-booky, unreal design. Personally, it bothers me, because I've always liked the look of Bruce Timm's animated series/films for DC Comics, and this just seems to stray too far from that for me to visually enjoy. I'll be the final judge of that when it releases on DVD and Blu-ray this September 29th...

Sony planning God of War I & II Blu-ray?

Got this screenshot from a survey sent out by Sony regarding a God of War III Collector's Edition. Fourth option down looked very intriguing to say the least:

Considering most PS3s nowadays do not have Playstation 2 backwards compatibility, would you be willing to pay more for a God of War III Collector's Edition if it came with the first two games on one Blu-ray? If not, what else from that list would you be willing to pay for?

Green Lantern: First Flight trailer

Warner Bros. has released the debut trailer for the next DC Universe animated film, Green Lantern: First Flight, set for release on July 2st, 2009:

Looks promising, and has a style different from that of the previous DC Universe films. Let's just hope it can surpass the stellar Wonder Woman film, just as that topped the previous direct-to-disc movies.

Green Lantern: First Flight

With Wonder Woman hitting stores today, Warner Bros. and DC Comics decided to shed some light on its next direct to disc animated feature: Green Lantern: First Flight. Along with an official website, a featurette about the project is also now available:
Green Lantern: First Flight - Behind the Scenes


Full press release at SuperHeroHype

Tales of the Black Freighter

Those anticipating the release of Watchmen, and have already read the book, know that there are some elements from the original pages not included in the film. Namely, Tales of the Black Freighter, a comic within the comic that tells the tale of a lone pirate while mirroring the story of Watchmen itself. The other part, Under The Hood, is a strictly written part of the graphic novel written by the character Hollis Mason a.k.a. the first Nite Owl, detailing the origins and tales of the Minutemen.

Well, thanks to Warner Premiere, you'll be able to watch both of these stories after seeing Watchmen, as it will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 24th; that's just eighteen days after Watchmen releases in theaters on March 6th. The DVD will retail for $19.95 while the Blu-ray will sell for $29.95; the only differences being, other than picture quality, is that the Blu-ray includes a Digital Copy. Both editions feature the Tales of the Black Freighter animated film, Under The Hood (live action/CGI), "Story Within A Story: The Books of Watchmen" featurette, and a sneak preview at the next DC Universe animated film: Green Lantern.

Full details and box art at SuperHeroHype.com

Also, rumor has it, that when Watchmen releases on DVD and Blu-ray, there will be a "Director's Cut" of the film that not only includes more scenes, but would also add Tales of the Black Freighter and Under the Hood segments directly into the film. While it may sound like a fans dream, it would also push the film to a near 5 hour mark, and remember, it's still just a rumor.

WALL-E Blu-ray review

He's back! And in gorgeous high definition too! Since I've already reviewed the film, which you can find here, this review will focus mainly on the special features, as well as the quality.

There are a lot of features to this set, and by set I mean two discs. Two Blu-ray discs, at about 25 GB a piece, that's a lot of space to fill. So to help, I've written about each disc separately.
Disc 1
The main attraction here is obviously the film. And while, as you can read in my original review that WALL-E is fabulous in its own right, the high-definition picture made available by the Blu-ray technology is phenomenal. I honestly can't say I've seen anything more beautiful come from my TV screen. And it doesn't stop there; also the movie can be viewed in two other ways, 'Cine-Explore' which plays the movie with commentary by director Andrew Stanton while displaying artwork and drafts of the film via picture-in-picture display. The next mode is 'Geek Talk: Trash Talk & Trivia', this mode has Stanton, as well as three other Pixar elites giving a more fun, less insightful commentary. Not that it's bad, its actually pretty nice, think of it as casual commentary, where as 'Cine-Explore' is more suited towards people in the production field. Both of these commentaries of exclusive to the Blu-ray set.

But that's not all, also on the disc is Presto, the Pixar short that played before WALL-E in theaters, and BURN-E, a new short starring a minor bot in WALL-E. What was cool about BURN-E, at least for me as an animator, is that there's a Blu-ray exclusive picture-in-picture version that allows you to watch the short while the storyboard plays in the corner. There's also an interesting easter-egg of the films nerd humor and it's nerd staff, it was actually pretty insightful. All of this in glorious high-definition. But that's not all, there's also BD Live features! All you need is an internet connection, an easy to create Disney BD Live Network account, and maybe some friends to do the same. With the BD Live features you can have video/text chat with friends as the watch the film, send friends video mail, and play a trivia game with friends or random strangers. It won't knock your socks off, but it's not something a DVD will let you do. And lastly, there are a bunch a trailers to watch ... and this is just the first disc!

Disc 2
This disc is set up in two categories Robots and Humans, so I'll separate it for you here as well. Robots, as you would expect, focus on the robots of the film. Here you'll find a video reel of WALL-E and the other bots playing around with different objects and will probably give you a laugh here or there. There's also a "Lots of Bots" interactive storybook, which is pretty hit or miss in my mind, but is probably great for the kids. Another Blu-ray exclusive, four mini-games, all based on titles like Astroids, Burger Time, and Lunar Lander, featuring the bots in an 8-bit style. They're pretty fun, but nothing to go out your way an play for. There's also a robot gallery of everything you'll find on the Axiom, complete with a profile and 3D model.

Then there's humans, this is the meet of this disc. First off are four deleted scenes, complete with commentary by with Andrew Stanton before and after each one. Next are seven mini behind the scenes videos, each discussing a different aspect of the production process. There's also five BnL shorts, designed as video guides from the conglomerate themselves. Not done yet, there's Blu-ray exclusive 3D fly-throughs of all the sets in the movie; they really immerse you in this world of the movie, and you can really appreciate the hard work that goes into making it so intricate. You though that was it? Oh no, there's an hour and a half long, and very informative documentary, The Pixar Story, which is directed by Leslie Iwerks. And finally, there are a bunch of trailers, from all around the world.

Final Thoughts
Quick note, this review is of the 2-Disc Standard Edition Blu-ray. The three disc set includes a Digital Copy (which is the third disc), so all of the features are the same; it also comes in a cardboard case, and not the standard blue keep-case. As my first Blu-ray purchase, and first time buying a film I saw in theaters (I have issues, ask me about it another time), I have to say I am really pleased. Not only did I love the film when it was in theaters, but now I can love it even more because of the beauty of high-definition; not to mention two discs chock full of features!

Overall Score - 10/10

As if this review weren't long enough, I have to mention that this is the first title to be awarded the VFH Seal of Approval! Why does it get such an award? To sum up the review, this set brings more to this wonderful film than any standard DVD ever could. The high-definition picture and sound, not to mention all of the storage to house a plethora of features, only made possible with Blu-ray technology, makes this a must have addition for anyone's movie collection.

Movies, TV, etc. Reviews

These reviews are organized by their specific media. They are listed alphabetically, unless part of a series.

To see how we score click here.

VFH Classic reviews marked with *
VFH Seal of Approval titles in bold


127 Hours
(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
Bananaz
Black Swan
Brüno
Coraline
The Dark Knight
District 9
Dragonball: Evolution
Eagle Eye
The Expendables
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Funny People
Green Lantern 'NEW'
The Hangover
I'm Here
Inception
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Inglourious Basterds
Iron Man 2
Machete
Moon
Quantum of Solace
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World
Sherlock Holmes
The Social Network
Star Trek
Sukiyaki Western: Django
Toy Story 3
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
UP
WALL-E
Watchmen
The Wrestler
Zombieland


Moon
Star Trek
UP
WALL-E


Batman: Gotham Knight*
Batman: Under the Red Hood
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs
Futurama: Bender's Game
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder
Green Lantern: First Flight
Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
UP
Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter
Wonder Woman


Doctor Who
The Drinky Crow Show
FlashForward
Fringe
Futurama
Lost
Moral Orel
The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!
Robot Chicken
Shin-chan
Superjail!
The Xtacles
Young Person's Guide To History


This post will be updated as the reviews come.
Last updated: June 25th 2011 (12:57 AM EST)