Steven Spielberg prepares a special high-def treat

A fabulously successful filmmaker took the wraps off of some previously unreleased titles in Blu-ray Disc for the holidays.
“Steven Spielberg Directors Collection on Blu-ray” ($199.99) offers his fans his films from Universal Pictures, including some being released in the high-definition format for the first time.
According to High-Def Digest, those debuting titles include the road picture “The Sugarland Express” (1974) with Goldie Hawn, the war satire “1941” (1975) with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd and the romantic tale “Always” (1989) with Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter. The set also includes “Jaws” (1975), “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982), “Jurassic Park” (1993) and “Jurassic Park: The Lost World” (1997).
Some fans may be disappointed that important titles such as the Oscar-winning drama “Schindler’s List” and the action-packed “Raiders of the Lost Ark” are not included, but perhaps there’s a plan for another boxed set with additional high-def pressings of Spielberg’s films.
Also included in the set is Spielberg’s terrific TV thriller “Duel” (1971) with Dennis Weaver starring in an “ABC Movie of the Week.”
For now, the eight-disc “Collection” set, which contains a 58-page book and bonus features, promises to provide a great holiday gift for that special movie fan seeking to binge-view many of Spielberg’s films over New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Disney movie holiday
Numerous Walt Disney titles have arrived for buying and viewing during the holiday season.
According to the 2014 f.y.e. holiday gift guide, the DVD pressings of Mouse House affordable movie favorites now available include “Frozen,” “Frozen Sing-a-Long,” “Brave,” “Finding Nemo,” “Cars,” “Cars 2,” “Tangled,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Monsters University,” “Planes,” “Planes 2,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Jungle Book,” “Ratatouille,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Frankenweenie,” “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Toy Story,” “Toy Story 2” and “Toy Story 3.”
New arrivals
The following titles either recently have been or soon will be released on Blu-ray Disc. They include:
“At the Devil’s Door,” with Catalina Sandino Moreno in an unrated supernatural chiller about a real estate agent trying to sell a house with a bloody past.
“The Good Lie,” with Reese Witherspoon in a PG-13 drama about some young victims in Sudan traveling as many as 1,000 miles on foot to reach a safe area.
“Lord of Illusions: Collector’s Edition,” with director Clive Barker directing an R-rated horror mystery (1995) starring Scott Bakula and Famke Janssen in a chiller about the investigation into the death of a tarot reader.
“Magic in the Moonlight,” with Colin Firth and Emma Stone in a PG-13 romantic comedy about an Englishman drafted to unmask a possible swindle.
“The Maze Runner,” with Patricia Clarkson in a PG-13 teen tale about a young man who wakes up trapped in a massive maze and must find a way to escape.
“The Missouri Breaks,” with Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson in a PG-rated frontier tale (1976) about an eccentric regulator who hunts down horse thieves.
“Pride,” with Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton in the R-rated true story of a 1984 mine workers strike that is supported by London-based gays and lesbians to raise funds to help the strikers’ families.
“Running Scared,” with Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal as hipster Chicago cops in an R-rated action comedy that has the duo seeking the drug dealer who tried to kill them.
“The Skeleton Twins,” with Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader and Luke Wilson in an R-rated dark comedy about two siblings who meet after years of estrangement and try to figure out where they went wrong in life.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” with Megan Fox and Whoopi Goldberg in the hit PG-13 favorite featuring the return of the hard-shell heroes with martial arts skills. The title is also available in 3-D.
“This Is Where I Leave You,” with Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Jane Fonda and Rose Byrne in a PG-13 comedy-drama about four adult members of a dysfunctional family who agree to stay for a week at their childhood home and interact with each other.
“Time Bandits,” with Sean Connery, Ian Holm and John Cleese in director (and Monty Python member) Terry Gilliam’s PG-rated fantasy (1981) involving time portals to lands of imagination
“The Trip to Italy,” with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in a mostly improvised unrated art-house comedy about two guys who take a culinary road trip across Italy.
Sources include High-Def Digest, Google, the Internet Movie Database, f.y.e., rottentomatoes.com, Target and filmratings.com. For other information on titles, go to thevideostoreonline.com.
Lou Gaul is the retired film critic for Calkins Media.