Brad Pitt and Ed Norton return to the small screen in a 10th Anniversary Edition of the cult classic Fight Club, which is directed by David Fincher. This is the first time the infamous film has been released on Blu-Ray. While I’m not as huge of an advocate of the movie or its ending as many fans, Fight Club is still a movie that should be in a guy’s collection – and what better time to add it than the holidays?

However, if you already own the DVD version, there’s not much in the way of new bonus features to tempt you into buying another bar of soap. The only new feature of note is a Flogging Fight Club featurette, which has Fight Club being inducted into the “Guy Film Hall of Fame” by none other than Mel Gibson wielding a giant sword and kilt. The featurette watches as Norton, Pitt and Fincher prepare their acceptance speech and poke fun at the critics who called their movie “vile.” It’s mildly funny.

Unfortunately, the other two bonus features are both interactive ones, and I really have no interest in interactive Blu-Ray (or DVD) bonus features. A Hit in the Ear is a sound mixing tool where you get to add and remove sounds from scenes; the introduction by Ren Klyce is well worth it, as he explains how they came up with the punching sound effects (they tried punching chickens, but that wasn’t quite right), but the actual tool lost me after about 30 seconds. I just can’t imagine that many people sit at home playing with these little Blu-Ray widgets.

Another bonus feature called Insomniac Mode: I am Jack’s Search Index, which is a feature that overlays the movie. Thrilling.

Though the exclusive Blu-Ray features have more bark than bite, those who don’t already own the DVD version won’t be too disappointed. Also included on the disc are deleted and alternate scenes, trailers, a music video, behind-the-scenes vignettes and, rather impressively, four feature-length audio commentaries by various members of the cast and crew.

So, it’s only fitting that Buena Vista is looking to cash in on the scam that is Blu-Ray by releasing a Kevin Smith: 3-Movie Collection on November 17, 2009. The collection contains Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and one of my all-time favorites, Chasing Amy.

The collection includes some great bonus features, notably a couple of hour-long-plus documentaries that explore the creation of Smith’s films with amazing detail and honesty.

The Clerks disc provides a bunch of features that are primarily reused from past releases, save for an intro by Kevin Smith where he talks about how he wanted to provide something new for the Blu-Ray to make it worth it purchasing yet again. The disc includes a couple versions of the film, an animated “lost” scene which I’d seen before, a short film with the Clerks stars and a few behind-the-scenes documentaries.

Mae Day: The Crumbling of a Documentary provides a lot of insights and interviews with various stars, but the documentary is about Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, not Clerks. Why it’s on this disc is a little confusing, especially since the Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Blu-Ray has absolutely no special features beyond an audio commentary.

The Chasing Amy Blu-Ray disc is where the real jewels reside, however. Smith’s magnum opus – his funniest, edgiest and most sincere, not to mention his most critically acclaimed, picture – has an audio commentary, deleted scenes and outtakes, but it’s the Tracing Amy: The Chasing Amy Doc that really inspires. Smith is always very honest when talking about his movies (and quite funny), and this hour-and-a-half documentary explores all aspects of the film. Smith talks about how he had nothing to lose (Mallrats, also a personal favorite, was a critical and financial failure and thus had been written off by most of Hollywood) and how he managed to scrap together a ridiculously cheap budget ($250,000, when they had previously determined they needed $3 million). The documentary includes interviews with every major player, including Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee and others. It is absolutely excellent.

Other bonus features include a one-on-one conversation between Smith and Adams, where they remark on their romantic relationship and how that influenced the film, and a cast Q&A session. Both featurettes are interesting and provide honest information about the film; there’s no promotional crap to be found.

If you don’t own these Kevin Smith movies, now may be the perfect chance to get your hands on three of his classics. The bonus features are just as entertaining as the movies in many cases, but you can’t go wrong with any collection that includes Chasing Amy.

Say Anything marks the directorial debut of Cameron Crowe and stars John Cusack as a young man named Lloyd Dobler, who’s one mission in life is to date Diane Court (Ione Skye). The movie looks at the rise and fall of their relationship in a very sincere way, which sets it apart from a lot of the teen comedies that were to follow.

I didn’t grow up with Say Anything (I first saw it just a couple years ago), and so I’m not a Say Anything fan, but it’s still a solid and engaging film with great performances and direction. Thanks to Crowe’s ability to explore his characters with amazing depth, the movie, even after 20 years, doesn’t feel very dated – and that’s always a good thing when dealing with the 1980’s.

The Say Anything Blu-Ray comes with the following bonus features:

• Commentary by Cameron Crowe, John Cusack and Ione Skye
  I haven’t listened to it, but I wonder if Cusack and Crowe spend time pointing out how much more successful their careers have been than Skye’s.
• An Iconic Film Revisited: Say Anything … 20 Years Later
  This little featurette includes interviews with all the major players involved in the film as they look back on Say Anything and what made it so special. The featurette feels slightly promotional in nature, but a few good insights are provided, especially around the working style of Cusack and the creation of the infamous boombox scene. Still, it’s nothing amazing.
• A Conversation with Cameron Crowe
  This featurette simply has Crowe talking to the camera about his experiences on set. The conversation feels very sincere and honest, as he talks about the challenges of his directorial debut and various aspects of the movie. This is the best feature on the disc.
• I Love Say Anything…!
  This seven-minute featurette is one of those segments you see on E! Channel where a bunch of comedians or C-level celebrities talk about their memories of a movie or person. In this case, they’re talking about Say Anything – mainly good things with a few minor jokes. There’s nothing particularly funny, though.
• To Know Say Anything… Is to Love It! Trivia Track
  You can add a trivia track to run while watching the movie. I’d rather just watch the movie, but if this is your kind of thing…
• Alternate Scenes, Deleted Scenes, Extended Scenes
  There’s a surprisingly large amount of footage to be seen here, some of which is pretty good.
• Theatrical Trailers, TV Spots and Photo Galleries
  This is self-explanatory.

Most of the special features save for the “20 Years Later” featurette appear to have been released on DVD before, so there’s not much to the Say Anything: 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray. That being said, it’s fun to revisit the movie – especially if you don’t already own it.

Adam Shankman has a knack for taking adult-oriented actors and making successful children’s comedies out of them. While I’m not a fan of Bringing Down the House, The Pacifier or Cheaper by the Dozen 2, the director has a talent for turning the likes of Steve Martin and Vin Diesel into children’s actors. Still, it was hard to imagine that Sandler’s fan base would accept him in a kid’s flick, or that parents would want to take their children to something featuring him. Nevertheless, Shankman has made the impossible possible; Bedtime Stories is funny, entertaining and utterly harmless, exactly what a Disney comedy should be.

Read the rest of the Bedtime Stories movie review.

I watched the movie over the weekend, so please read my Frozen River movie review now:

One of the most talked about movies that no one has heard of, Frozen River arrives on DVD on Tuesday, just in time for audiences to get a peek at the Oscar-nominated performance by star Melissa Leo before awards are handed out at the end of the month. Read more…

In other news, I’m giving away a Blu-Ray copy of Frozen River – so enter to win a copy today!