THE SPIRIT on DVD and Blu-ray
From Frank Miller, the creator of 300 and SIN CITY comes the re-awakening of a hero unlike any other -- THE SPIRIT. Adapted from the comicbook series created by Comic Book Hall of Famer Will Eisner, THE SPIRIT fuses masterful storytelling with brilliant CGI graphics to sweep viewers into a stylized world of action, adventure, danger and romance. It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as the Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), has a different mission: he's going to wipe out Spirit's beloved city as he pursues his own bid for immortality.
The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City's rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront ... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Surrounding him at every turn are Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next-door; Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), a calculating and driven vixen; Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; Lorelei (Jaime King), an angel of Death; and Morgenstern (Stana Katic), a sexy young cop. Then of course, there's Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves. She's the love of his life turned bad. Will he save her or will she kill him? In the vein of BATMAN BEGINS and SIN CITY, THE SPIRIT takes us on a sinister, gut-wrenching ride with a hero who is born, murdered and born again.
Stu Maschwitz of The Orphanage was hired as the overall visual effects supervisor, where he was charged with coordinating the work of 10 other vendors to bring the film together. Reflecting back on the early discussions with Miller about the film, Maschwitz explains that he wasn't just looking for a visual effects service provider but also a collaborator on the filmmaking. "We are that," he asserts. "And that's part of why we have had such a fun relationship with Rodriguez over the years because we are a like-minded film production company as well as a visual effects company."
"Initially, the conversations we had involved our cinematographer Bill Pope," he continues. "I was brought on board around the same time he was. It was then that I realized that Frank and the producer Deborah Del Prete were really taking this film seriously from a filmmaking standpoint. The decision to bring on Bill Pope was huge. He's known for THE MATRIX movies and the SPIDER-MAN sequels. But my favorite film that he shot is BOUND, with Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly. It's a modern, noir thriller and had that chiaroscuro lighting. It's a sumptuous and beautiful film. So Bill and I sequestered ourselves for a while and had a lot of conversations about what Frank's visual style does for a viewer. It's obvious to anyone who sees his SIN CITY artwork, that he's the master of silhouette and telling the story through simple, bold shapes that become iconic. It was something we knew we would want to explore.
THE SPIRIT Blu-ray and 2-disc Special Edition DVD contain bonus materials including multiple featurettes, an alternate storyboard ending with cast voiceovers and feature film audio commentary by the screenwriter/director and producer. They both also feature a standard definition digital copy of the film. The Blu-ray will contain an additional featurette not found on the DVD. THE SPIRIT Blu-ray also marks the debut of the first LIONSGATE LIVE enabled title for the studio. LIONSGATE LIVE is a unique BD Live based menu system that delivers updateable exclusive content such as commentaries, games, ringtones, wallpapers, trailers and much more via a series of on-screen notifications and widgets. In addition, LIONSGATE LIVE will continually notify users to any new features across all Lionsgate BD Live titles. LIONSGATE LIVE will be available on select theatrical titles throughout 2009. The Blu-ray Disc also features Molog, which allows users to insert and animate shapes, text, audio and other graphics right into the film as well as post "blogs" about the film to share with other registered MOLOG users. The standard one-disc DVD of THE SPIRIT will include a Widescreen and Full Screen version of the film and the theatrical trailer.
Blu-ray Special Features Include:
Disc One:-- "Green World" featurette -- a look at the technical wizardry behind the making of the film-- "Miller on Miller" featurette -- a look at the artistry of Frank Miller-- "History Repeats" featurette -- an in-depth look at the origin of THE SPIRIT as well as Eisner's influence and vision in the comic book world-- Alternate storyboard ending with voiceovers by Samuel L. Jackson and Gabriel Macht-- Audio commentary by Frank Miller and Deborah Del Prete-- MoLog - Movie Blog network connected community and interactive movie blog tool set -- LIONSGATE LIVE enabled-- Theatrical trailer
Disc Two:-- Standard Definition Digital Copy of the feature film
2-Disc Special Edition DVD Features Include:
Disc One:-- "Green World" featurette -- a look at the technical wizardry behind the making of the film-- "Miller on Miller" featurette -- a look at the artistry of Frank Miller-- Alternate storyboard ending with voiceovers by Samuel L. Jackson and Gabriel Macht-- Audio commentary by Frank Miller and Deborah Del Prete-- Theatrical trailer
Disc Two:-- Digital Copy of the feature film
THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR on Blu-ray
The barriers that separate fantasy from reality are shattered in this stylish, mind-jarring thriller, where two parallel worlds collide in a paroxysm of deception, madness and murder. On the thirteenth floor of a corporate tower, high-tech visionary Douglas Hall (Craig Bierko) and his high-strung colleague, Whitney (Vincent D'Onofrio), have opened the door to an amazing virtual world -- circa 1937 Los Angeles. But when the powerful leader of their secret project (Armin Mueller-Stahl) is discovered slashed to death, Hall himself becomes the prime suspect. Arriving from Paris is the beautiful and mysterious Jane Fuller (Gretchen Mol), claiming to be the murder victim's daughter. Her instant, magnetic attraction to Hall only further blurs the lines of what is real. Is he the killer? Is the inscrutable Jane somehow connected? To find the answers, Hall must cross the boundaries into the simulated reality he has helped create -- and confront the astonishing truth about his own existence.
This Sony Pictures Home Ent. release from 1999 featured vfx from Centropolis Effects.
Special Features Include:
-- Commentary with co-writer/director Josef Rusnak and production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli-- Music Video: "Erase/Rewind" by The Cardigans
UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: THE RETURN on Blu-ray
Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), the heroic former Universal Soldier, is about to be thrown into action once again. With the Cold War over and defense budgets slashed, the entire UNIVERSAL SOLDIER team is facing elimination, including SETH, the super-computer that controls the ultra-warriors. Knowing that his days are numbered, SETH decides to seek revenge by destroying his creators and implementing a reign of terror on the outside world. Morphing into human form as the quintessential UNIVERSAL SOLDIER (Michael Jai White), SETH begins to unleash his wicked plan with the aid of his top soldier (Bill Goldberg). When conventional military strength fails to thwart his efforts, Luc must take charge. As Luc faces SETH and his team of unstoppable soldiers, a battle pitting man against machine and good against evil ensues, offering the kind of high-intensity sci-fi action you've come to expect from Van Damme in a story you won't soon forget.
This 1999 release from Sony Pictures Home Ent. featured vfx by Cinema Research, East Coast Films and K.N.B. Effects Group.
Special Features Include:
-- Making of Featurette-- Michael Jai White: "A Universal Soldier's Workout"-- Jean-Claude Van Damme: Looking Back-Moving Forward
