Australian Blu-ray Importing: October 2012 Buying Guide

Since last time we looked at the 'Guide to Buying Blu-rays from Overseas' last month, the Australian dollar has continued to dance around parity with the US dollar based on strong commodity markets and soft U.S. economy.

With studios starting to open their catalogues to much anticipated titles, coupled with deep discounting in overseas markets, it's still a really great time to import some rarer Blu-ray titles.

Let's jump into the latest instalment of the series, covering some of the later titles released overseas, but safe for Australian region coding.

Ghosts of the Abyss 3D

2

Studio: Disney Home Entertainment

Country of Origin: United States

Purchase: Amazon.com

Region: A, B, C

With the flurry of interest in anything Titanic, following the 100th anniversary of the ships sinking, it's a wonder that rights holders didn't exploit James Cameron's 2003 IMAX documentary Ghosts of the Abyss further, especially since it was filmed (and presented here) in stereoscopic 3D.

Titanic star Bill Paxton joins Cameron and a small crew to the very bottom of the Atlantic, the resting place for the ruins of the ship. What they find is eerie and immensely fascinating. Fans of the movie will likely be intrigued by this documentary, presented in both 2D and 3D versions. The 2D version features an extended cut of the film that wasn't shown in cinemas.

Fallen

Studio: Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

Country of Origin: United States

Purchase: Amazon.com

Region: A, B, C

Never before has a Rolling Stones song become so scary. Detective Hobbes (Denzel Washington) watches as a convicted felon receives the death penalty for his crimes, but soon a rash of similar murders spring up around town. Copy cat, or is the perpetrator not dead?

Towards the end of the last millennium, Warner Brothers were churning out some really interesting thrillers, and Fallen is certainly one of its best. The Blu-ray release features a solid 1080p transfer, with lossless audio. Whilst there isn't much in the way of bonus features, it's certainly good to see the commentary and trailer from the previous DVD releases ported over (even if the TV spots have been lost).

The Devil's Advocate

Studio: Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

Country of Origin: United States

Purchase: Amazon.com

Region: A, B, C

The Devil is alive in New York City and is a high profile lawyer at his own prestigious firm. Doesn't sound like a stretch, does it? In the role that made audiences sit up and take a second look at Keanu Reeves (pre-Matrix days), he's joined by Al Pacino whom gives a great performance. It's scary as hell and one of my favourite films.

The Blu-ray release, despite its "unrated directors cut" label (which I can't work - it seems exactly the same as the previously Australian DVD releases) still disappointingly features a censored cut of the film, unlike the initial U.S. DVD release from 1998.

Ed Wood

2

Studio: Disney Home Entertainment

Country of Origin: United States

Purchase: Amazon.com

Region: A, B, C

One day, director Tim Burton and star Johnny Depp might make a movie without each other. But whilst Alice in Wonderland and Edward Scissorhands might get all the press, this 1994 curio is perhaps their best work together.

Based on the life of Hollywood cult director Ed Wood, famous for his cross dressing real life and terribly D grade films, Ed Wood features some great performances, including Martin Landau and Bill Murray. You probably haven't seen it, but give it a look.

The Blu-ray release retains the film's black and white image, in a stunning clear and detailed 1080p transfer, and retains the complete collection of extra features including deleted scenes, featurettes, and a stellar commentary with the cast and Burton.