Into the Blu

I have always been skeptical of making Broadway hits into films. It seems that far too often, what works so well on the stage doesn’t always translate well to film. They are two very different mediums both for the actors as well as the audience. Far too often, too many changes have to be made to the script and the overall presentation to make the play work for the big screen. In doing so, some of the magic of the play, especially if you have seen it live, is lost. One of the exceptions to this rule is the subject of this review, Fiddler On The Roof, which takes on a whole new dimension on the silver screen. Continue Reading

Back in the late 1980′s, the subject of Autism was not well known throughout America. It was the film that is the subject of this review, Rain Man, that thrust the topic of Autism into the mainstream of the collective American consciousness. Since then, Autism has been in the news more and more, with the incidents of the diagnosis of Autism on the upswing and with the since discredited concerns about the role of vaccinations in the rise of the of the incidents of Autism over the past decade or so. Continue Reading

There is no doubt that is great that we are seeing all of there 20th and 30th and beyond anniversary releases of some truly classic films on Blu-ray. However, there is a downside for any of us, like yours truly, who were around when some of these films hit the theater for the first time. They really remind us how fast time is flying by, whether we are having fun or not. Holy cow, Batman, has it really been 20 years since Thelma & Louise first hit the screen? Has it been 20 years since Mr. Angelina Jolie i.e. Brad Pitt, first hit the screen and had all those ladies cooing in their seats? Well, unfortunately is is true. We are now all 20 years older. Just how does Thelma & Louise hold up all these years later? I am pleased to report, quite well. Quite well indeed. Continue Reading

With The Kids are All Right winning the Golden Globe for Best comedy, the film was definitely moved to the top of my “must watch soon” list and upon seeing the many awards this film has been collecting my expectations were raised accordingly. With a very edgy premise and an ensemble cast of great actors it begs the question… Does the film live up to all of this?

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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

You know when you are getting old when you saw a movie celebrating its 45th anniversary during its original theatrical run. Such is the case with The Sound of Music which is the first movie I can really recall seeing as a kid with my parents. I was wowed by the scope and color of the film as a kid but have been disappointed with all of the previous home video releases of this classic. Thankfully, the first Blu-ray release of this film can only be described as spectacular, both visually and sonically. All I can say is that it is about time! Continue Reading

As anyone who has been following this website or Blu-ray in general knows that 2010 has been quite a year for releases on Blu-ray. There have been several highly anticipated catalogue releases this year (Including the recently released Alien Anthology and Toy Story 3). One of the releases that has been at the top of many film fans’ wish list has been Back to the Future, which has undergone a restoration and new transfer for its debut release on Blu-ray. Was it worth the wait? Continue Reading

In the sci-fi movie world, outside of Star Wars, I can’t think of any more eagerly anticipated Blu-ray releases that Alien and Aliens. I saw both of these in the theater during their initial runs and loved them both. While they have the alien creature and the character Ripley in common, they are two very different films with Alien, under the direction on Ripley Scott, being a suspense film and one of the scariest films I have seen and Aliens, under James Cameron, an action film. While both very different, both are truly excellent. Unfortunately, the folks at 20th Century Fox have chosen to release all four films as a set so you have to buy all 4 just to get the first two. How do they look and sound? Well, read on. Continue Reading

For the penultimate movie in my review of the Mel Brooks Collection, I selected the classic Spaceballs, Mr. Brooks’ send up of science fiction movies.  Although I thought I had watched this movie previously, I was surprised to discover that I had only watched it in parts and not as a whole.

When viewing the film previously, I had been struck by its obvious wink to Star Wars, emphasized through characters such as Barf, Dot, Yogurt, Pizza the Hutt, and Dark Helmet.  As a long-term lover of science fiction films, Spaceballs was treading dangerous ground.  My question was, was this film sublime satire, or pure farce. Continue Reading

There is no question that animated films have universally looked great on Blu-ray, whether they be computer based animation such as the Pixar films, hand drawn films or stop action animation. Unfortunately, the subject of this review, James and the Giant Peach is an exception to this general rule. Continue Reading

I always thought that The Thomas Crown Affair starring Pierce Brosnan was an overlooked film. This may be due to the fact that it was a remake of a 1968 film of the same name starring Steve McQueen. While it is an updating of the original, it certainly has plenty going for it in its own right, especially the stunning “visuals” provided by Rene Russo, who has never looked better than she does in this film. When I saw that this film was being released on Blu-ray, I couldn’t wait to get a copy to see how much an improvement a high def treatment would be over the prior DVD release. Thankfully, quite a bit as it turns out. Continue Reading