A slew of classic titles get star Blu-ray treatment this week, like The Godfather, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind and more.

This week is Oscar nomination week, so apparently Hollywood decided to ride that theme for the releases on Blu-ray disc as well.

Several Academy Award winners in the Best Picture and other categories are arriving, either as first-time appearances in the high-definition format or remastered double-dip efforts that we hope offer a little more than the first time around.

If you’re into some classics, this is a great week for you to purchase that Blu-ray player and see these films in their most pristine detail yet on home video (a couple we’ve seen on HD DVD, but here they are again).

Paramount has given its “Sapphire” treatment to the first two movies in Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy, meaning the restoration should be improved and the extras should be plentiful for those two Oscar winners of the early ‘70s.

Speaking of the number 70, that’s the anniversary edition of Gone with the Wind. The timeless classic is presented in its traditional 1.37:1 aspect ratio, but also handed a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack to go with a Dolby mono version. Casablanca, which already looked pretty stunning on HD DVD, also goes Blu this week.

If it’s more recent classics you’re into, iconic directors Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood offer up Gangs of New York and Mystic River, respectively, in the format. We’ve seen “Gangs” before, but it came with lackluster reviews regarding the video transfer, so hopefully this remaster went through more HD rigors.

Here’s the full list of releases for this week, courtesy of Blu-ray.com:

Amelia
The Babysitters
Bonnie and Clyde
Casablanca
Doctor Who: The End of Time, Part One & Two
Doctor Who: The Complete Specials
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars
The Fallen Ones
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Gangs of New York
The Girl Next Door
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
Gone with the Wind
He Was a Quiet Man
Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms / Blood & Iron
The House of the Devil
Jazzmix in NYC: Vol. 1
The Last King of Scotland
The Lost
Love Happens
Maid in Manhattan
The Man from Earth
Mona Lisa Smile
The Music Man
Mystic River
New York, I Love You
One Bak: The Thai Warrior
One Bak 2: The Beginning
Planet Hulk
Spiral
To Live and Die in L.A.
Triangle
Universal Soldier: The Regeneration
Virgin Territory
Walk the Line
Wild Asia: The Arid Heart
Zombieland

by Arlen Schweiger

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/top_10_blu-ray_releases_for_february_2/

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