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blu-ray DVD & Blu-ray

UK DVD & Blu-ray Releases: Monday 11th January 2010

This week’s DVD & Blu-ray pick is The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

DVD & BLU-RAY PICK

The Taking of Pelham 123 (Sony): The remake of the much loved 1974 thriller sees Denzel Washington take on the role of a MTA dispatcher who has to deal with the head of a criminal gang (John Travolta) who have hijacked a train in New York.

Directed by Tony Scott and scripted by Brian Helgeland, it largely came about because Sony had bought MGM and had the rights to remake certain titles in their library.

Although the original film is so distinctive and of its time, this version manages to be something more than just a rehash, mainly due to the fact that Helgeland went back to the original novel and changed some key plot points.

It features solid work all round from the two leads down to a fine supporting cast, which includes John Tuturro, James Gandolfini and Luis Guzman.

Scott directs in his usual frenetic, multi-camera setup style but there is something pleasingly straightforward about the way in which it is all delivered.

It disappointed at the US box office and got a mixed critical response but deserved better as it is a highly efficient nuts and bolts thriller even if Scott directs and edits in his usual ADD manner.

The DVD comes with the following extras:

  • English and Italian DD5.1 Surround
  • English Audio Description Track
  • Subtitles: English, English HOH, Danish, Finnish, Hindi, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish
  • Commentary with Director Tony Scott
  • Commentary with Writer Brian Helgeland and Producer Todd Black
  • No Time to Lose: The Making of Pelham 123
  • The Third Rail: New York Underground
  • Marketing Pelham
  • From the Top Down: Stylizing Character

The Blu-ray Disc is coded for all regions (A, B and C) and the extras are in a mix of SD and HD, including:

  • 1080P 2.40:1 Widescreen
  • English, German and Italian 5.1 DTS-HD MA
  • English Audio Description Track
  • Subtitles: English, English HOH, Danish, Finnish, German, Hindi, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish
  • Commentary with Director Tony Scott
  • Commentary with Writer Brian Helgeland and Producer Todd Black
  • No Time to Lose: The Making of Pelham 123
  • The Third Rail: New York Underground
  • Marketing Pelham
  • From the Top Down: Stylizing Character
  • BD-Live: cinechat

Although I wasn’t sent the Blu-ray for review purposes, I would imagine the transfer looks very good, given that it’s a Sony release.

Gary Tooze of DVD Beaver says it “looks very strong on Blu-ray” and that the transfer is “thick and heavy – balancing nicely between over-saturation and textured grain” and that overall it is a “marvellous presentation”. He has several screen shots here.

* Buy the DVD or Blu-ray from Amazon UK *

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ALSO OUT

And Then There Were None (Optimum) [Buy on DVD]
Antichrist (Artificial Eye) [Buy on DVD | Buy on Blu-ray]
Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat (Arrow Video) [Buy on DVD]
Doctor Who Winter Specials 2009 (2 Entertain) [Buy on DVD]
Doctor Who: The Complete Specials (2 Entertain) [Buy on DVD | Buy on Blu-ray]
Feast II: Sloppy Seconds (Optimum) [Buy on DVD]
Last Action Hero (Sony) [Buy on Blu-ray]
Law & Order: UK – Series 1 (Universal Playback) [Buy on DVD]
Night Boat to Dublin (Optimum) [Buy on DVD]
Nine Men (Optimum)
Painted Boats (Optimum) [Buy on DVD]
Shadows in the Sun (Artificial Eye) [Buy on DVD]
Sorority Row (E1 Entertainment) [Buy on DVD | Buy on Blu-ray]
Spring and Port Wine (Optimum) [Buy on DVD]
Street Trash (Arrow Video) [Buy on DVD]
The Lost Continent (Optimum) [Buy on DVD]
The Proud Valley (Optimum) [Buy on DVD]
The World Ten Times Over (Optimum) [Buy on DVD]
Tickle Me (Optimum) [Buy on DVD]
Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead ( Fox) [Buy on DVD]

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> UK cinema releases for Friday 8th January including It’s Complicated, The Road and Daybreakers
The Best DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2009
UK cinema releases for 2009