Blu Tuesday is a weekly column where we review the newest Blu-ray and 4K releases, along with a brief rundown of the included bonus material, to determine whether they’re worth buying, renting or skipping.
Pick of the Week: “Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection”
Aardman Animation is no one-trick pony, but “Wallace & Gromit” is unquestionably their flagship property, and for good reason, as it’s continued to bring joy and plenty of laughs for the past 35 years. Though it may seem a bit odd that Shout! Factory would be releasing this box set when a brand new “Wallace & Gromit” feature is due to be released on Netflix in the U.S. early next year, it’s not a bad way to catch up on the duo’s animated adventures. The addition of 2005’s feature-length “The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” is a nice touch, but “Wallace & Gromit” has always been most effective in abbreviated form, and so it’s the four short films — “A Grand Day Out,” “The Wrong Trousers,” “A Close Shave” and “A Matter of Loaf and Death,” available for the first time in 4K — that are the real highlights, not to mention the inclusion of the 2002 series “Wallace & Gromit’s Cracking Contraptions.” While other studios have elevated the stop-motion animation art form in the 16 years since Wallace and Gromit’s last adventure, the series has managed to endure thanks to its simple but effective mix of wit and charm.
The three-disc set includes a 28-page book with a new foreword by film critic Peter Debruge, as well as audio commentaries, an interview with creators Peter Lord and Nick Park, four behind-the-scenes featurettes and much more. FINAL VERDICT: BUY
Also Out This Week:
“Interstellar: 10th Anniversary Limited Edition” (4K) — Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” has some incredibly devoted fans, but after revisiting the film for the first time in 10 years, it remains one of my least favorite of the director’s movies. Though there’s no denying its massive scope and ambition, “Interstellar” is one of Nolan’s least accessible films, filled with complex scientific ideas (from black holes to the space-time continuum) that make for incredibly dense viewing at times — and in the case of the more theoretical concepts, result in some silly moments as well. The acting is top-notch, anchored by great performances from Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain, and there are some amazing visuals on display that look even better in 4K, but the movie ultimately lacks the discipline and uniqueness of Nolan’s earlier work, resulting in a film that’s certainly good but hardly stellar. Extras include a 14-part making-of documentary that runs nearly two hours long and covers just about every aspect of the production process, as well as a brand-new retrospective, two roundtable discussions with McConaughey, Hathaway and Chastain, and a Science Channel special narrated by McConaughey. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
<!–Also Out This Week: “The Roundup: Punishment”; “Willow” (4K); “No Country for Old Men” (4K); “8 ½” (4K)
