They say that truth is stranger than fiction and in the case of The Blind Side, that is certainly true. Had the book and the film been a work of fiction, we all would have rolled our eyes and said, you’ve got to be kidding me! What a tall tail! However, die to the confluence of too many improbable circumstances to count, The Blind Side is true. While it is a an enjoyable film featuring several wonderful performances, the question to be answered today is how well does it look and sound on Blu-ray? I guess you will just have to keep on reading. Read the full story

When you hear that a classic true story that is beloved in Japan was re-imagined in a westernized setting and released straight to video… What immediately comes to mind? The original story always pulled at my heart strings and was about one of the most loyal dogs around. Does this new film breathe new life into the actual dog’s tale or is it another sugar coated Hollywood cash grab?

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As a film reviewer, it is almost embarrassing to admit that I have viewed none of the films created by directors in the French New Wave.  In my defense, I can offer that this “new wave” took place before I was born, and that by the time I was able to cultivate a taste for movies, many of the “new wave’s” inventiveness had already been co-opted by others.

This led me to two important questions I hope to answer in my review.  Firstly, if subsequent movies have taken advantage of a once-new filmmaking technique, does this make the originating movies any less relevant?  And secondly, can entertainment value survive in what is considered “experimental” cinema?  Although films can have artistic merits on their own, they must still be accessible to the common movie viewer.  Read the full story

I will admit that I did not know what to expect when Broken Embraces arrived for a review. The fact that it stars Penelope Cruz was a good sign. That plus the fact that it was directed by Academy Award winning writer and director Pedro Almodovar was even better given his past track record. I had also heard some good critical buzz about the film but have found in the past that good critical buzz is not necessarily a harbinger of an enjoyable film or one that would be assessable to a mass audience. Thankfully, Broken Embraces, merits the praise that has been heaped upon it by the trade press and contains yet another in a string of amazing performances by Penelope Cruz. Read the full story

Reviewing one of the most respected films of all time is a bit daunting. I hadn’t seen the Godfather trilogy in years so when it came time to review Godfather II I immediately went out and purchased the trilogy in order to refresh my memory… That’s how important these films are. Do they still hold their ground now though?

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One of the problems with the study of history is that it can get rather dry when you limited yourself to the printed page. Movies on the other hand, can really help to bring historical characters to life, offering a glimpse into the lives of those figures that you wouldn’t otherwise get to see, even though films often times take a bit of liberty with the facts for the sake of a more interesting film. Such is the case with the film that is the subject of today’s film, Amelia, which gives us a glimpse into the life of the famous aviator, that one may not have been able to appreciate from the pages of history. Read the full story

I guess you can say that I am in the very distinct minority in the US when it comes to soccer. I love it, especially English football, which has a rick, deep and at times, crazy history. Teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forrest, Reading and Derby Country, just to name but a few. Even the names of the stadiums evoke the richness of that history, with monikers such as Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, Anfield and Craven’s Cottage immediately coming to mind! Better than the Wachovia Center don’t you think? Read the full story

I can’t really say that I am fan of country music. In fact, I try to avoid it as much as I can as it is not really my cup of tea. However, I am a big fan of well written and acted films with compelling story lines regardless of the subject matter. yes, even if it involves country music. One of those films is the subject of today’s review, Walk The Line, the bio pic that tells the story of the early career of Johnny Cash and his life long love affair with June Carter Cash, which has finally made its way to Blu-ray. Read the full story

In the early days of Blu-ray, the releases were skewed to what I would describe as the PS3 crowd, with far too many releases consisting of bad sci-fi and slasher/horror films for my taste. Even today, I am often a bit confused as to why some really mediocre films are rushed to release on Blu-ray while other much better films have yet to see the (Blu?) light of day. One such film is The Last King of Scotland which hit theaters in 2006. One would have thought that with Forrest Whitaker winning the Oscar for his role as Idi Amin in that film, that it would have made its way to Blu-ray much sooner than early 2010. Thankfully it finally has. Was it worth the wait? Read the full story

Pride & Prejudice is one of my wife’s favorite books and one of the best looking films ever released on the ill-fated HD DVD format. I loved the cinematography in the film and the VC-1 encode was simply fantastic. This is one of the Universal films that I eagerly waited for release on Blu-ray. Well, without much in the way of fanfare, Pride & Prejudice has finally found its way to Blu-ray and I, for one, am glad it has Read the full story

Making a very popular book into a film is more often times than not, a very tricky business. An author may devote several pages to rather minute detail that is important to the story that just can’t be translated to the screen very easily. The same is true for some plot twists which have to be dropped due to time constraints that just don’t exist with the printed page. However, when the subtle details and minor plot lines are dropped, the flow of the story and our understanding of the characters is often changed, more often than not, to the detriment to our enjoyment of the film. Read the full story

In advance of reviewing JCVD, I had heard mostly positive things, especially about the acting of our eponymous hero, Jean-Claude Van Damme.  Although not expecting Shakespeare or high art, when the Blu-ray cover screams “He deserves not a black belt, but an Oscar” (this from a reputable source), one cannot help but be excited.  After all, we all enjoy seeing an actor surprise us with previously unseen ability and depth.  And what better character is there for any actor to play other than a caricatured version of themself? Read the full story

Most of my movie-loving friends have already seen Boogie Nights while I had not.  Considering the film had as much popularity as it did and it’s well over a decade old now, it was high time I sat down for a watch of this flick.  I heard fragments of the content here and there so being the red-blooded male that I am, of course my interest was peaked.  But even a hot, scantly clad (or no clad) woman is not enough in and of itself to make a film good.  How is the acting, the plot, the climax, the believability?  You will find the answers to all these questions in this review of Boogie Nights. Read the full story

As the Blu-ray format has grown over the years, many changes have taken place throughout the film industry.  One recent studio trend has been the re-release of supposed classics onto this newly accepted format.  Although there may be a niche market for many of these obscure titles, one may argue against the need for a release on a high definition format.  Rockers made its way onto Blu-ray 30 years after its initial release.  We’ll explore whether it’s worth the possible upgrade from DVD. Read the full story

I’m not sure what everyone’s problem is with this film.  I have previously been lambasted for openly writing my feelings about how much I liked Fame during its theatrical run and I have seen and heard nothing but pessimistic and repugnant comments from the critical community.  Am I the only one out there who sees the beauty, faith and inspiration that can be drawn from the film?  Should I be concerned or seriously ponder anymore why I thought Fame was one of the better movies of 2009?  I initially went into the theatrical presentation of this movie that I had little to no interest in, especially considering the subject matter, and I came out a believer.  I’ll expound on that in a little bit, but for now let’s talk more Fame! Read the full story

The Duke has made his way to Blu-ray.  The John Wayne classic The Green Berets recently hit store shelves on Blu-ray disc, which for many, was a long awaited arrival.  It’s a positive thing to see studios focusing not only on current films, but those from the past as well.  Let’s not waste any more time on an introduction and find out the verdict on John Wayne in 1080p! Read the full story

Two Girls and a Guy is a 1997 independent comedy starring Robert Downey Jr. and Heather Graham, it focuses on love, lust, trust and everything in between in modern relationships.

It tries to examine and reflect on some sort of universal truths about new age relationships. However with an ambitious script and the expectations that come with a pitch like that, if done poorly the film just has a higher height to fall from… Let’s see what happens. Read the full story