Into the Blu

The original Swedish title of this film is Man som hatar kvinnor, which literally translates to Men Who Hate Women. Indeed, there is a great deal of brutality and hate within this investigation/revenge plot. The pace can seem slow at points, but it may only seem that way when contrasted against other points that all-too suddenly become so insanely intense that you may not initially believe what is happening on the screen. The term “gripping” comes to mind when trying to express this films overall effect. Continue Reading

The Simpsons, to me, had at least 10 seasons of being the best cartoon (and sitcom) on television. By season 11 and 12, it show signs of straining but persevered to put out more solid comedy. By the 13^th and 14^th season, the magic had faded and mediocrity reigned meaning that South Park, with the release of season 14 as well as currently airing their 15^th season, can take over as having more consistently hilarious seasons then those veritable cartoon comedy Gods, the Simpsons. Continue Reading

An Education is a critical darling of the previous Oscar season that features a major breakout role for lead Carey Mulligan, who received no less than 24 major acting award nominations for her performance. More a loss-of-innocence story than coming-of-age (which it is sometimes marketed as), this makes for a great character film. Continue Reading

At least for this reviewer, one of the most anticipated new releases on Blu-ray is The Incredibles. In addition to being a great movie, it was long regarded back in BBR days (before Blu-ray) that The Incredibles had reference audio and video presentations. I frequently saw The Incredibles DVD being used in many high end and low end home theater demonstrations at CES and other home theater confabs and it was to say the least used very effectively. Well, after a long wait, The Incredibles has finally made its way to Blu-ray. Was it worth the wait? Does it regain its spot at the top of the reference audio and video heap. Oy my, yes it does! Continue Reading

Usually when you approach the big five-oh, you expect something special, whether it is your 50th birthday or your 50th wedding anniversary. One would therefore have expected something very special from the folks at Disney for their 50th full length animated film. That film, Tangled, is the subject of this review. Would it prove to be just as special as one would have expected for such a milestone film? Continue Reading

While new films seem to be what most of the Blu-ray buying public is looking for, I also really enjoy the back catalogs, even the deep back catalogs. It gives me a chance to get a fresh look at films I never had the opportunity to see, didn’t know about or haven’t seen in a long time. One such film is the subject of this review, Moonstruck which I hadn’t seen since its original theatrical run in 1987. I really loved it then. Would I love it just as much now all these years later? The answer is an unqualified yes. Continue Reading

The good old days. I am sure that we have all at one time hankered back for what we think were the Good Old Days. You know, when life was simpler, the food better and the music too. Perhaps even films? The funny thing about the good old days is that we sometimes look back at them through a filter and they are not really as good as we thought them to be. I was giving this subject some thought before I popped the subject of this review, Dances With Wolves, into the Blu-ray player. Continue Reading

The folks at Disney have sure been busy restoring and releasing some of their masterpieces on the Blu-ray format. Since the inception of the format, Disney has released classics such as Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs all of the which look spectacular and better than they ever have in the home environment by a wide margin. To that list of Disney classics you can now add Alice in Wonderland, which is coming to Blu-ray on its 60th Anniversary. Will it hold up to the other films in terms of picture and audio quality? Continue Reading

I love catalog releases especially of old films, after reviewing North by Northwest months ago and seeing how meticulous the restoration process can be when done properly. Although I’m not a fan of musicals I was anxious to see how this classic film was treated when put onto Blu-ray. How’d it hold up? Continue Reading

Originally released as a novel in 1955, The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney has been adapted several times for the screen. The most successful and widely known being the 1978 version Invasion of the Body Snatchers starring Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard Nimoy.

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Arguably one of the most iconic films in the horror genre, Poltergeist now nearly 30 years old, is filled with numerous recognizable and often parodied scenes. Poltergeist has since been made into a trilogy of films and a remake is currently in talks; but let’s face it nothing has or will come close to competing with the original. Directed by Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and produced by Steven Spielberg, Poltergeist was nominated for 3 Academy Awards in 1982; a rare feat for a horror film. But not all good has come from this film, as much of the current day press around the film comes in form of The “Poltergeist Curse.” The curse surrounding the film has supposedly taken the lives of four cast members; aged as young as 12 years old. One murdered, the rest taken by illness it is unclear to me the reality of this curse but one thing is for sure; it surely has added to the already spooky aura around the film. Continue Reading

What follows may be what seems like a short review, but when you think about; How does one review a sexploitation film thoroughly while maintaining a PG rating? Score was one of Radley Metzger’s popular porn chic/sexploitations films which became popular for the usage of non-simulated sex scenes between same sex couples… Sounds like fun, right? Let’s see how it goes.

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