High Def is not the only momentous change for the milestone twentieth season.  The opening sequence was updated for the first time.  The opening retained most of the original bits like bart writing on the chalk board and the long running couch gags, but with a lot more characters jammed in and a cinematic feel.

If you’re looking for extra features with this release, look somewhere else.  The only “feature” is a trailer for the 20th season documentary by Morgan Spurlock.  I was expecting at least some commentaries or a featurette to mark the occasion.  Every season so far has had plenty of features and unique packaging.  I’m sure that a super special edition is in the works packed with special features to suck more money from our pockets.

Despite the lack of features it is still worth owning.  After 20 years the Simpsons are still as fresh and relevant as ever.  You’ll enjoy antics like Lisa’s obsession with her Mypod and Homer and Ned acting as bounty hunters.  It’s easy to see why The Simpson’s are the longest running prime time series on TV.

As for extra features, there is your standard commentary with the writers, Seth McFarlane, and Seth Green.  There is another feature called Family Guy fact ups which is reminiscent of the great Pop Up Video.  You watch the whole movie with random pop ups that give you facts about the Family Guy and Empire Strike Back.  A featurette about the creation of the poster and a table read of Darkside and of the next installment, I Have a Bad Feeling About This round out the extras.

I’m sure this will air soon on adult swim in an edited form, but it really is worth it to check out the DVD to see it in it’s un-edited glory.  Family Guy plus Star Wars equals awesome.

Today we have the release of Stargate on Blu-Ray.  Officially: Stargate: 15th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray.  You may already own Stargate on DVD if you’re like me, but I am always in favor of having a movie in high def when possible.  Especially with a grand, special effects driven movie like Stargate.  It’s hard to believe that it’s been fifteen years since Stargate was released.  If you never saw this movie, it is definitely worth picking up. 

Directed by Roland Emmerich, who you might know from other action packed movies like, 10,000 B.C., The Day After Tomorrow, and Independence Day to name a few.  It stars Kurt Russel and James Spader, who are sent by the military to travel through an ancient Egyptian portal to find out what’s on the other side.  What could go wrong?  There is also a creepy appearance by Jaye Davidson as the Egyptian god Ra.  I remember being convinced that Davidson was a woman, but for anyone who saw the Crying Game, you know that he most definitely is not. 

On to the special features of this 15th Anniversary Edition.  It does not disappoint like so many re-releases do.  Right off the bat you get not one, but two version of the film: the original theatrical release and the unrated extended version.  No the unrated extended version is not Stargate Gone Wild, it includes extra scenes to help explain more about the plot that were cut originally for time constraints.

You are also getting four featurettes and a behind the scenes documentary that will show you everything you wanted to know and more about making the movie.  I found one of the featurettes to be a little bit of a stretch and I think you can tell just by the title which one.  Is there a Stargate?

And what special edition Blu-Ray would be complete without a gag reel?  I’m not a huge fan of gag reels because it’s really the same thing over and over, someone ruining a take by laughing or flubbing a line.  This reel however is not that.  This is probably the strangest thing I have ever seen as a special feature.  It is all one long take traveling through the set where each group has come up with a ridiculous “gag” for the camera complete with slap stick sound effects.  I’m sure that this was originally intended only for the crew and was really funny to them, but it was lost on me.  For some reason, it looks like it is 1984 when they filmed this not 1994. 

The 15th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray gives you more bang for your buck than most Blu-Ray discs, so I say pick this one up.

Stargate, the film that spawned three television series, two movies and a galaxy of fans, celebrates its 15th anniversary with a special edition Blu-ray Disc!  The film, written and directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day), boasts a critically-acclaimed ensemble cast that includes three-time *Emmy® winner James Spader, **Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Kurt Russell and two-time ***Academy Award® nominee Djimon Hounsou.
 
The Stargate: 15th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Disc contains both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film – for the first time on Blu-ray – in newly remastered 1080P High Definition 16 x 9 Widescreen with English 7.1 DTS-MA Audio and four hours of mind-blowing special features including three new featurettes, a never-before-seen gag reel, an interactive trivia track and more!  The Blu-ray will be available on October 27, 2009, timed to coincide with the new television series “Stargate Universe” coming to SyFy this fall!
 
*TV’s “Boston Legal,” Outstanding Leading Actor in a Drama Series, 2005, 2007; TV’s “The Practice” Outstanding Leading Actor in a Drama Series, 2004
**TV’s “Elvis,” Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special, 1979; Silkwood, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, 1984
***In America, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, 2004; Blood Diamond, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, 2007
  
*BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
·         New – “Deciphering the Gate: Concepts and Casting” featurette
·         New – “ Opening the Gate: The Making of the Movie” featurette
·         New  – “Passing Through the Gate: The Legacy” – featurette
·         New  – never-before-seen Gag Reel
·         New  – “Master of the Stargate” Interactive Trivia Challenge
·         New  – BonusViewTM Picture-in-Picture “Stargate Ultimate Knowledge”
·         “Is There a Stargate?” featurette
·         “The Making-of Stargate” documentary
·         Audio commentary with Director Roland Emmerich and Producer Dean Devlin
* System requirements: Blu-ray optical disc player and HD TV. Special features subject to change and may appear in standard definition. Additional features not rated.