Media

Sleeping Beauty: 50th Anniversary Platinum Edition (Disney, $29.99 for DVD, $35.99 for Blu-ray) - High definition isn’t just for cool car chases and breathtaking vistas. Disney is banking on the format to bring a classic to life as well.

This release of “Sleeping Beauty” marks the first time a Disney classic has been presented in high definition. Don’t have a Blu-ray player yet? Not to worry - “Sleeping Beauty” also marks the first time a studio is including the standard DVD along with the Blu-ray copy. For just $6 more than the standard DVD, you can get it along with a Blu-ray copy you can watch once you upgrade.

Even if you already own a Blu-ray player, you might want to upgrade because “Sleeping Beauty,” in fact, marks yet another first. It’s the first Disney release to take advantage of the new BD-Live technology. Most players bought more than a couple months ago aren’t even equipped with this capability, but it’s the next big thing in home video. BD-Live enables players to connect to the Internet and so can provide a new array of interactive features. On “Sleeping Beauty,” that means you can chat with remote friends on-screen while watching the movie together, play trivia games with people across the globe and e-mail a video message of yourself along with a clip from the movie. Even the menu is customized for BD-Live players: It’s a virtual castle that changes based on your location, time of day and current weather conditions.

Disney didn’t send out the Blu-ray disc, so I can’t comment on all these features or the restoration of the 50-year-old fairy tale, the last one Walt Disney himself produced. It should be impressive, though - even the soundtrack was restored into a new 7.1 mix. I did get to sample the new BD-Live technology at a Disney event a few months ago, and it’s clear it has a lot of promise. Children will love sending messages to their friends and watching the movie virtually alongside friends and family. Dad can send chat messages on his BlackBerry while little Susie types back on the desktop computer at home. There’s little doubt that with future releases, Disney will continue to expand its BD-Live Network.

Besides the interactive fun, there are plenty of extras on both the two-disc DVD and Blu-ray editions: four songs that didn’t make it into the final film; the short “Grand Canyon,” which accompanied the movie on its theatrical run; an alternate opening; DVD games; documentaries; and more.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Paramount, $39.99 for DVD and Blu-ray) - The fourth installment of the archaeological adventure, which was released this summer and went on to become the third-top-grossing film of the year so far, wasn’t quite as good as previous films in the Indy franchise. However, they were pretty hard to top. “Crystal Skull” was still enjoyable, perhaps no more so than when it poked a bit of fun at the franchise and its aging protagonist, played by Harrison Ford with his usual gruff finesse.

As you’d expect, there is a bevy of extras here. You can watch director Steven Spielberg prepare the film at the drawing board and young cast member Shia LaBeouf prepare with some sword-fighting practice. You also can follow the crew as they begin in New Mexico, move on to the hallowed halls of New Haven, Conn., and end up in Hawaii.

The Blu-ray edition also has three interactive timelines, so you can follow the story and find out how it was made and how it relates to the real world.

Boy A (Miriam Collection, $24.95) - Released in area theaters just two months ago, this British import already is making its appearance on DVD - an indication that the film probably didn’t get the audience it deserved. Its plot might sound like that of a movie of the week, but “Boy A” is a ripped-from-the-headlines story handled with grace and intelligence.

The title refers to the moniker Jack Burridge (Andrew Garfield, “Lions for Lambs”) was given at trial. Convicted of murder at just 10 years old, Jack finally is released from prison 14 years later. He has a new name and hopes to create a new life to go with it. It won’t be easy. It might not be clear whether Jack has forgiven himself, but it’s obvious the British public has not. When the tabloids get word that one of the notorious child killers has been released, a countrywide bounty hunt begins. Jack, who has a job, a girlfriend and even a reputation as a hero, isn’t the same boy he was at 10. Redemption, however, is difficult to find for every character in this moving exploration of atonement. (Sadly, there’s not a single extra on this release.)

The New World: The Extended Cut (New Line, $20.98) - “The New World” is the sort of movie that has no business being rereleased on standard-definition DVD. Ponderous and rambling, the plot of “The New World” was of little importance; what wowed critics and audiences were the beautiful images thrown up on the screen. Why not give us those images in the best quality possible?

Starring Colin Farrell as Capt. John Smith, Q’orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas and Christian Bale as John Rolfe, “The New World” is a familiar tale to any elementary school student. The British come to the undiscovered land to the west, rile up the natives, disrupt the balance of things, and the world is never the same.

What gives “The New World” its unexpected power is the intensely beautiful scenery. The shots are long, perfectly framed and almost hypnotic. This is especially true for the first 80 minutes or so as Capt. Smith interacts with the “naturals,” as the natives are called.

Unfortunately, the film drags, and those hypnotic images lose their power as eyes dart away from the screen and to the nearest timepiece. The film is epic in length only; as far as subject matter goes, it breaks no new ground either historically or in terms of its underlying love story. Engorging the film with 20 additional minutes of footage doesn’t aid matters.