USHE Press Release: Shaun of the Dead -and- Hot Fuzz Limited Edition (Blu-ray)

Experience These Action-Packed Comedies for the First Time on Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def With Perfect Picture and the Purest Digital Sound Available   SHAUN OF THE DEAD & HOT FUZZ - ULTIMATE EDITION   SEPTEMBER 22, 2009 OWN IT ON BLU-RAY(TM) HI-DEF FROM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Finally arriving on Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def are two side-splitting movies by comedic talents Simon Pegg and Nick Frost! Whether paying homage to such horror classics as Night of the Living Dead, Evil Dead and 28 Days Later or putting a wickedly witty spin on buddy cop movies, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz - Ultimate Edition don't hold back on the thrills or chuckles. Packed with tons of bonus features and the very best sound and picture available, these movies are sure to become an integral part to any Blu-ray(TM) collection.

 

BONUS FEATURES FOR SHAUN OF THE DEAD ON Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def:

 

• BD-LIVE(TM): Access the BD-Live(TM) Center through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers, and more!
  • MY SCENES: Bookmark your favorite scenes from the movie then share with your BD-Live buddies!
• U-CONTROL(TM): Universal's exclusive signature feature puts the viewer just one click away from going deeper into the making of the film without ever leaving the movie.
  • ZOMBIE-O-METER: View Shaun trivia while watching the movie!
• TRAILERS: Trailers and TV Spots from the UK
• Missing Bits: Outrageous outtakes and all-new deleted scenes not shown in theaters
• Raw Meat: Never-before-seen casting tapes, Simon Pegg's video diary, Edgar & Simon's flip chart, special effects comparison and make-up tests
• T.V. Bits: Interview with the band Coldplay
• Audio Commentary: Uncensored commentary by the cast, including the zombies!
• "Story Gaps": Interviews with the actors on what happened to their characters, fun animated storyboards and voiceover by the talent
• Zombie Gallery: Photo gallery and theatrical poster designs

   

 

 

 

BONUS FEATURES FOR HOT FUZZ - ULTIMATE EDITION ON Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def:

 

• BD-LIVE(TM): Access the BD-Live(TM) Center through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers, and more!
  • MY SCENES: Bookmark your favorite scenes from the movie then share with your BD-Live buddies!
• U-CONTROL(TM): Universal's exclusive signature feature puts the viewer just one click away from going deeper into the making of the film without ever leaving the movie.
  • Storyboard
  • Fuzz-O-Meter: Fuzz fanatics can access a special trivia track during the film for a running recount of little-known facts about the film and its stars.
• DELETED SCENES: Relive the action and hilarity with over 20 deleted scenes featuring commentary by filmmakers.
• THE EVIDENCE ROOM
• Conclusive: We Made Hot Fuzz
• Speculative: Video Blogs
• Forensic: Featurettes
• Hearsay: Plot Holes and Comparisons
• Special Effects: Before and After
• Photographic: Galleries
• Falsified: Dead Right
• Outtakes
• The Fuzzball Rally: UNCUT: Follow Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright on their nationwide U.S. press tour.
• The Man Who Would Be Fuzz: Simon Pegg and Nick Frost hit their marks as Sean Connery and Michael Caine playing out a scene from the movie.
• Audio Commentary:
  • Feature commentary with Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright
  • Feature commentary with The Sandford Police Service: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Rafe Spall, Kevin Eldon & Olivia Colman
  • Feature commentary with Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino
  • Feature commentary with The Sandford Village People - Kenneth Cranham, Timothy Dalton, Paul Freeman & Edward Woodward
  • Feature commentary with The Real Fuzz - Andy Leafe & Nick Eckland
• Hot Funk: Montage of clips using the "clean" dialogue from the TV and airline version of the film.
• Danny's Notebook: The Other Side
• Trailers
• Easter Egg Video Clip
• ADDITIONAL VIDEO BLOGS
  • iTunes Podcasts
  • VW Blogs

SHAUN OF THE DEAD SYNOPSIS: Get ready for a gut-busting, bone-mashing good time in the hilarious horror comedy, Shaun of the Dead. There comes a day in every man's life when he has to get off the couch...and kill some zombies. When flesh-eating zombies are on the hunt for a bite to eat, it's up to slacker Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his best pal Ed to save their friends and family from becoming the next entree. Satisfy your bloodthirsty appetite with the movie that masters of horror and film critics alike are hailing as the funniest and scariest movie of the year. NovelistStephen King gushes "it's a 10 on the fun meter and destined to be a cult classic" and Devin Gordon at Newsweekcalls Shaun of the Dead "a bloody hoot!" It's a screamingly funny outrageous Zomedy that will have you dying with laughter.

 

HOT FUZZ - ULTIMATE EDITION SYNOPSIS: Get ready for a gut-busting, outrageous comedy from the guys that created Shaun of the Dead. Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is a big-city cop who can't be stopped - but he's making everyone else on the force look bad. When he is reassigned to a small, quiet town, he struggles with this new, seemingly idyllic world and his bumbling partner (Nick Frost). But their dull existence is interrupted by several grisly and suspicious accidents, and the crime-fighting duo turn up the heat and hand out high-octane, car-chasing, gun-fighting big-city justice in this hilarious hit critics are calling "Outrageous! Uproariously funny!" (Thelma Adams, US Weekly).

 

SHAUN OF THE DEAD TECHNICAL INFORMATION (BLU-RAY(TM) HI-DEF):

Street Date: September 22, 2009

Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved

Selection Number: 61106515

Price: $29.98 SRP

Running Time: 1 Hour, 39 Minutes

Layers: BD-50

Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1

Rating: R (Zombie Violence/Gore and Language)

Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, French Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles

Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS Surround 5.1, Spanish DTS Surround 5.1

 

HOT FUZZ - ULTIMATE EDITION TECHNICAL INFORMATION (BLU-RAY(TM) HI-DEF):

Street Date: September 22, 2009

Copyright: 2009 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved

Selection Number: 62106535

Price: $29.98 SRP

Running Time: 2 Hours, 1 Minute

Layers: BD-50

Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 2.35:1

Rating: R (for violent content including some graphic images and language)

Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, French Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles

Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS Surround 5.1, Spanish DTS Surround 5.1

 

SHAUN OF THE DEAD CAST & FILMMAKERS:

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Jessica Stevenson

Director: Edgar Wright

Screenwriters: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright

Producer: Nira Park

Executive Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Natascha Wharton, James Wilson, Alison Owen

Director of Photography: David M. Dunlap

Production Designer: Marcus Rowland

Editor: Chris Dickens

Music: Daniel Mudford, Pete Woodhead

 

HOT FUZZ - ULTIMATE EDITION CAST & FILMMAKERS:

Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Timothy Dalton, Anne Reid, Rafe Spall, Billie Whitelaw, Edward Woodward

Directed By: Edgar Wright

Produced By: Nira Park, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner

Written By: Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg

Executive Producer: Natascha Wharton

Director of Photography: Jess Hall

Production Designer: Marcus Rowland

Editor: Chris Dickens

Costume Designer: Annie Hardinge

Music: David Arnold

 

Sounds great, Ron.  The HD DVDs were no slouches, but there was an issue with HOT FUZZ, where after watching a bonus, it would take a long time to go back to the menu.  This made working through the extras hard work, so if the blu can correct this, I'm in.

What is "Limited" in this press release?  a two-pack?

Can't wait to pick up both.

Ron, the title says 'Limited Edition', but the press release says 'Ultimate Edition'.  I assume the press release is correct?  I hope so because my initial reaction was "Oh, crap!  Not another excuse to jack up the price"!

Sounds cool. I bought Hot Fuzz when it was first released on DVD, only to have Universal announce a 3-disc collector's edition a month later. I'm still a bit bitter about that.

I'm hopeful the Blus will include all of the extras. Hot Fuzz sounds like it includes everything. Shaun of the Dead was missing some stuff from the UK DVDs, but with the "including zombies" note in the commentary listing, I'm hoping it includes everything as well.

I had the same problem. I even went to Wal-Mart to get the special version with a bonus disc that included almost everything else from the UK edition. I put those up on eBay as soon as I heard about the 3-disc.

And I'll still get a Blu-ray, since the Pegg/Frost/Wright collaborations are some of my favorite films of the decade.

According to people who have seen this Sunday's (Aug. 23) Best Buy ad both Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead are being released as Best Buy exclusives on Tuesday, August the 25th.

Now I haven't seen the ad, but Best Buy's website has these two with an August 25th release date, so it might be true.

I can confirm it, I've got 'em both in my hot little hands right now!   And they're not hiding...even my smallish BB had them out on an end cap with plenty of copies.

However, before I open these both, I want to know the verdict on them.  In the past, I've been burned opening up catalog releases before reading any reviews, but seeing as how they're fairly new, I figured it'd be a safe bet.

Even if they simply ported the HD DVD transfers, these would look really good. Given that they're on BD-50s, expect better compression of the image and great sound.

Well, good news...Hot Fuzz is STILL demo material.   To these eyes and a 55" Samsung Randy Tomlinson (RIP) ISF-calibrated DLP set, this film looks fantastic.  It is every bit a lovely as I remember the HD-DVD to be and perhaps a bit better.  FYI, it is AVC-encoded.  If it's possible, the video is bested by the audio.  WOW, just wow.  LFE everywhere and just an engaging mix.  I caught WAY more jokes this time around than on HD-DVD and it made the film that much more enjoyable.  My one audio problem...there is an audible issue with static in the right surround speaker.  While I have yet to try another BR on my PS3, I paused the film several times and even switched to DirecTV and the static was gone.  Could be a problem inherent in the audio mix.  So funny, I just said above how there's rarely a problem with the audio mix.  Oh well, if some others here have a similar issue then I guess that's good in the sense that it's not my system but then it opens up a whole new can of worms.  While the static wasn't super distracting to me, it could be for others during quieter moments of the movie.

Well, to quote myself...

It isn't the audio mix on the pressing...I got a replacement copy from BB and also tried Shaun of the Dead and Wanted as well (another recent Universal title with a DTS MA-HD track) .  All had the static in the right surround, so it must be my PS3 YET AGAIN.  Grr, getting so tired of that machine always screwing up.