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Movie Review
by John Holliday
by George Taylor
by Christian Fannin
COMING SOON!
[Our editor, Emily Bloom, brings you the best new releases in her "DVD / Blu Review" article. No filler, no hype, only movies and TV shows we personally buy.]
Other than the obvious home releases of movies to make their theatrical debut in the coming year as well as the recent past, we're excited about some big titles heading to Blu-ray in 2012. We've gathered a list of the most anticipated among CineWeekly staff that also includes a few favorites still only in the rumor stage. One thing we can guarantee is that this new year will be another huge boost for the format as many timeless classics are already lined up for release in the first few months.
Our pick among the movies slated for 2012 is Casablanca "70th Ann. Edition". I know it's already been on Blu-ray (only recently out of print) and even had an "Ultimate Collector's Edition", but they're both unavailable and are getting a better set than before. The UCE was only available for a very small period and has been for sale by third-parties for ridiculous prices since then. It's a huge shame since Casablanca is largely considered one of the absolute best movies of all time. Everyone deserves a chance to see Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in full high-definition and we'll get another (hopefully more lengthy) chance sometime next year. It is one of CineWeekly's "perfect ten" movies and we're incredibly excited to see what special features Warner Bros. has to offer us.
But there's so much more to anticipate including To Kill a Mockingbird "50th Ann. Edition" - Collector's Series which hits in January. My personal favorite actor, Jimmy Stewart, brings another Hitchcock masterpiece to Blu with Rear Window but I'm holding out for the inevitable box sets (either Stewart or Hitchcock since both have so many great films). Recently, Jaws was announced for an August 14th, 2012 street date and is rumored to have a good amount of bonus material in the works. Hopefully we'll see the feature-length documentary, The Shark is Still Working that's been unreleased and awaited by fans for years. The original sea monster though, Godzilla, gets a guaranteed amazing Criterion Collection treatment in just a few weeks. Something I'm looking forward to that my not be so popular with others is Disney's animated Robin Hood (1973) which I hope is treated much better than it was on DVD. Of course all Disney releases will be appreciated like the potential Aladdin but next on the roster is Lady and the Tramp.
The rest that I've listed below are still only rumored but there are strong cases for each. When it comes to Indiana Jones, I'd love it if they only included the original trilogy because I don't want to own the fourth installment that won't even be mentioned here by name. Steven Spielberg's third 80's classic expected in the next year is E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial. The greatest thing about this title is that Spielberg recently said he would restore the movie to it's original form unlike George Lucas is doing with his masterpieces. No more walkie-talkies in place of guns or CGI E.T.! While Lawrence of Arabia "50th Ann. Edition" is highly expected, it's still not announced and there is a surprising amount of speculation that all the Universal Monster titles will also be available by year's end. We'll see which of these come to fruition and I'm sure so many more great 2012 releases will blindeside us in the coming months.
Did your pal Emily miss your favorite new release title? Are you sure you aren't the only one that likes it? Let her know at: emily@cineweekly.com
