Into the Blu

Being somewhat of a Sci-Fi buff, I was admittedly anxious about taking this journey into a different era of filmmaking.  Although I must admit, I did hesitate for a moment prior to pressing the play button.  Having never seen Kubrick’s classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, I was unsure about how I would I relate to its sequel, 2010: The Year We Make Contact and I rarely view sequels while not having seen the original.  There was also the slight concern that the film may no longer be relevant to today’s viewing audience considering the future is indeed far different than the filmmakers may have envisioned 25 years ago.  Nevertheless, I sat back and enjoyed the ride into the not so distant future. Continue Reading

Back at the turn of the century when I purchased my first HDTV, one of the DVD’s I used to show off the set was the Collector’s Edition of A Bug’s Life, which, unlike the regular DVD edition, had an anamorphic transfer that featured striking detail and depth. It also helped that I loved the film. Since the advent of high def media, I have not had the opportunity to pull out that disc to check it out to see how well it holds up on a bigger screen. I have now with the release of A Bug’s Life on Blu-ray. I had high expectations here given the picture quality of the other Pixar Blu-ray titles. How does A Bug’s Life compare? Well, the old DVD is headed to Amazon for sale as this Blu-ray release puts it to shame. Continue Reading

Keanu Reeves has come a long way since the days of Bill & Ted. He really came into his own when given the part of Neo in The Matrix. The film Constantine suits him well as the character is very dark, with not too much emotion. This seems to be the type of character he is used to playing in many of his recent films, including the up coming The Day the Earth Stood Still. Constantine is a film full of action, drama and some scares, which is all a good thing and really is a thrill ride kind of a film. Continue Reading

There have been plenty of great action films that have starred Arnold. He was a huge box office draw in the 90s. In the summer of 1996, Warner Brothers made a boad load of cash with Eraser. Box office money does not always indicate a great movie, mind you. Worldwide, the gross was over 220 million dollars. That is an insane amount of cash for a film where the acting is suspect, and the storyline is totally predictable. Definitely not one of Arnold’s best, not by a long shot. Continue Reading

There is nothing like a good epidemic or virus to scare the living heck out of you. It happens everyday. Turn on your local news and you’ll see stories about bird flu, salmonella, Mad Cow or killer bees. Sure, all of these things are out there but imagine a virus like the plague, in today’s environment, and you would have a huge panic. Well, in this Blu-ray review of Outbreak, a deadly virus is on the loose on US soil and it is up to Dustin Hoffman and his co-stars to save the day. Continue Reading

It’s year 4 at Hogwarts, and for me this was the best Potter of the first five films. Hogwarts plays host to the prestigious Triwizard Tournament, and that means putting up students from two other wizard schools. Here we get an inkling of just how large the Potter universe truly is. Up until now our experience has only taken us through the world of Hogwarts and its peripheral environs. Continue Reading

Do you enjoy a little Beethoven with your ultraviolence? Stanley Kubrick’s controversial A Clockwork Orange has arrived on Blu-ray Hi-Def (as the TV adds now like to call our BD format). Often imitated, sometimes misunderstood, A Clockwork Orange is a classic no matter your opinion of the film. Personally, this isn’t my favorite Kubrick film (that would have to be 2001), but it’s essential viewing nevertheless. Whether you choose to view it on this Blu-ray might be another?story….

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This could be either one of the greatest home cinema experiences of your lifetime, or you may be bored to tears. Thus is the dilemma of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Either way, go buy this Blu-ray, that way you can at least feign serious film collector.

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It’s year 3 at Hogwarts, and behind the scenes there have been some significant changes in the Harry Potter universe. Chris Columbus gave up the directing duties to Alfonso Cuaron. While Cuaron was faithful to the traditions established by Columbus, I do believe he did a rather nice job of adding his own dark touches to the Hogwarts landscape. Whether it was a new director or simply greater maturity, there is no question that Cuaron got better performances out of the three major actors. Continue Reading

It’s year two at Hogwarts, and now we know who everyone is, so there isn’t going to be any time wasted setting up characters and relationships. I must say that the three actors playing Harry, Hermione, and Ron (Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint) pull off the chemistry in a pleasantly convincing manner. You believe these kids now have some history together, so we’re off to Hogwarts and a new adventure before you can blink your eye. Because of the great setup provided in the first film, the sequel has every potential to be better than the original, and Chamber Of Secrets lives up to that potential. Continue Reading

For those of you who don’t know, A Few Good Men revolves around the case of two marines who are charged with murder of another marine in their platoon on an army base in Cuba. The victim was a sub-par marine who wanted off the base so badly he was willing to rat out one of his fellow marines about an illegal fence line shooting. The base is run by a hard nose Colonel (Jack Nicholson) who prefers things to be handled from within. The case is being handled by a couple of inexperienced lawyers played by Tom Cruise and Demi Moore, in hope that the trial never sees the inside of the court room. At first, the trial seems to be nothing more than a case that can be plea bargained, until they start digging and realize it goes much deeper than that.

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