Universal

CHICAGO – I’m conflicted about Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden’s “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” a good movie that I think a lot of people wanted to be great. After Fleck & Boden’s spectacular one-two punch of “Half Nelson” and “Sugar,” I think we started to expect that they would hit a home run every time. So, this one’s just a single. It’s still a creative hit despite its flaws.

CHICAGO – It almost felt like Universal tried to piggyback “Catfish,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, on to so many other movies that it somewhat tanked at the box office (not breaking even $4 million) because it lost its own identity; ironic, given the film’s purported examination of the shifting ground of truth known as the internet.

CHICAGO – As Sofia Coppola’s excellent “Somewhere” with Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning begins to roll out across the country (read our review), catch up with Coppola’s best film, one of the best of the ’00s, the great “Lost in Translation,” now available on Blu-ray for the first time. The release is mostly just a tie-in with a filmmaker’s current release but there is a new special feature — basically a commercial for “Somewhere.” It’s not a fantastic “special edition” but it’s still a fantastic movie.

CHICAGO – The high-def releases for “Battlestar Galactica” have been somewhat baffling. The problem for Universal was that A.) They had started releasing the series on standard-def when Blu-ray took off and B.) They needed a way to milk one of their most impressive cash cows for a bit longer. Consequently, the chance to individually buy all of one of the best science fiction programs of all time didn’t come until 2011. But that day has finally arrived with the release of the impressive “Battlestar Galactica: Season Four.”

CHICAGO – Every critic has a few films in their resume that they were arguably too hard on. Coming on the heels of the beautiful “How to Train Your Dragon” and the masterful “Toy Story 3,” “Despicable Me” felt a bit too thin in theaters but it plays great at home, bolstered by a spectacular Blu-ray release from Universal.

CHICAGO – Amy Poehler’s “Parks and Recreation” had the serious problem of trying to find an audience on NBC during the destruction of the network by “The Jay Leno Show.” Debuting in April of 2009, it struggled to find a following and then barely hung around through the disastrous times at NBC during the 2009-10 season. To everyone’s surprise, it was renewed and will return on a revamped Thursday night lineup in January. To try and ignite interest in the show one more time, Universal has released the second season of this better-than-average show.

CHICAGO – Lisa Cholodenko’s “The Kids Are All Right” still stands as one of the best films of the year for two reasons. One, Cholodenko’s script brilliantly tackles the challenge of playing emotional subtext instead of mere action, resulting in five completely-realized, believable characters. Two, the film features arguably the best ensemble of the year with two strong contenders for the Best Actress Oscar.

CHICAGO – Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” may have been (incorrectly) perceived as a box office bomb but a large cult grew around the film before it was even released and it’s a following that will only grow stronger with the fantastic Blu-ray release, a disc filled with more special features than even the most hardcore fan of the movie could have hoped for. The movie is still a bit flawed but it plays well at home and I can’t say enough about how wonderful it is when a top-notch studio like Universal treats a loyal film following with the respect they deserve.

CHICAGO – It’s rare to see a series of films and its fans treated as incredibly as Universal has with the 25th Anniversary edition of the “Back to the Future” trilogy. This is one of the most remarkable and impressive Blu-ray releases to date: A box set that not only features pristinely-restored versions of the three films but includes hours of spectacular special features. It’s a must-own and arguably the best release in a very good season for Blu-ray collectors.

CHICAGO – Are we going to have to wait for a major anniversary of every Alfred Hitchcock film for them to be released on Blu-ray? Only two of the films directed by the best filmmaker of all time are available in HD, last year’s 50th anniversary release of “North by Northwest” and the amazing new 50th anniversary edition of “Psycho.”