New Release: Dune, Elizabeth, The Jackal and other movies on Blu-ray

Universal Studios Home Entertainment packed April 27, 2010, with a bunch of catalog movies on Blu-ray, each priced at $26.98. In alphabetical order:

Dune movie scene

Dune

Dune: Director David Lynch’s 1984 science-fiction film, starring Kyle MacLachlan (Showgirls), Max von Sydow (Minority Report), Linda Hunt (TV’s NCIS: Los Angeles) and Sting, carries these special features on Blu-ray:

• deleted scenes with an introduction by producer Raffaella De Laurentiis
• featurette “Designing Dune
• featurette “Dune FX”
• featurette “Dune Models & Miniatures”
• featurette “Dune Wardrobe Design”
• D-BOX

Elizabeth: Starring the wonderful Cate Blanchett (Lord of the Rings), Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech) and Christopher Eccleston (Lennon Naked), this 1998 biography film has these extras:

• BD Live – Basic
• BD Live – My Scenes
• feature commentary with director Shekhar Kapur
• featurette “The Making of Elizabeth
• Elizabeth featurette
• D-BOX

Elizabeth: The Golden Age: With more Blanchett and Rush, this 2007 drama offers these extras:

• BD Live – Basic
• BD Live – My Scenes
• deleted scenes
• featurette “The Reign Continues: Making Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• featurette “Inside Elizabeth’s World”
• featurette “Commanding the Winds: Creating the Armada”
• featurette “Towers, Courts, and Cathedrals”
• feature commentary with director Shekhar Kapur

The following three movie are Blu-ray/DVD combo packs — with both Blu-ray and DVD on one disc — still priced at $26.98 each.

The Jackal: This thriller, starring Bruce Willis (Red), Richard Gere (Brooklyn’s Finest) and the always great Sidney Poitier (Sneakers), has BD-Live on the Blu-ray side of the disc and the following on the DVD side:

• featurette “The Making of The Jackal
• feature commentary with director Michael Caton-Jones
• production notes
• cast and filmmakers featurette
• theatrical trailer

Out of Africa: The 25th Anniversary Edition of this 1985 drama film, starring Meryl Streep (It’s Complicated) and Robert Redford (All the President’s Men), has these extras on the Blu-ray side:

• deleted scenes
• featurette “A Song of Africa”
• theatrical trailer
• My Scenes
• feature commentary with director Sydney Pollack
• BD Live
• D-BOX

And these on the DVD side:

• featurette “A Song of Africa”
• feature commentary with director Sydney Pollack
• production notes
• cast and filmmakers featurette
• theatrical trailer

Traffic (read our review): Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 drug-trafficking drama, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago), Benicio Del Toro (The Wolfman) and Michael Douglas (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), offers these extras:

• deleted scenes
• featurette “Inside Traffic

About S. Clark

Sam Clark is the former Managing Editor/Online Editor of Video Business magazine. With 19 years experience in journalism, 12 in the home entertainment industry, Sam has been hooked on movies on since she saw E.T. then stared into the sky waiting to meet her own friendly alien. Thanks to her husband’s shared love of movies, Sam reviews Blu-ray discs in a true home theater, with a 118-inch screen, projector and cushy recliners with cup holders.