Into the Blu

As you may know, I had the pleasure of being able to review the Blu-ray releases of the first and second seasons of Dexter, one of the most original and intriguing shows in the history of television. Not being a Showtime subscriber, I was not able to catch the third season and I was anxiously waiting to receive the season 3 Blu-ray to see just what type of mayhem Dexter would get involved with next. Well, season 3 has arrived on Blu-ray and here is the review. Continue Reading

 I would fail an administered polygraph test miserably if I said I have not been looking forward to this moment since 3:01 AM EST on December 16, 2006.  No, I am not talking about the second coming of Christ, but rather the greatest American hero of modern times…Jack Bauer in Hi-Def!  What exactly is so significant about 3:01 AM, December 16, 2006 you may ask?  Well it’s none other than the date and time I ventured out to Wal-Mart to get the impossible to find, at the time, Sony Playstation 3.  It was later that weekend that I was introduced to the world of Blu-ray and I have not looked back since, except to reflect on that magical moment of seeing the crystal clear blue Bahamian waters and the tiny goose bumps lavishly spread across Jessica Alba’s exotic tanned flesh in Into The Blue.  Ahhh (thoughts of serenity race throughout my brain and ricochet off my skull until)…the fingers snap…my attention is broke…back to the review I embark in discern. Continue Reading

Time have really changed in regards to the standard TV fair seen during the summer months. It used to be that all we had in the summer was reruns of the previous season’s prime time shows. Now, in addition to those reruns and really cheaply produced “reality” programming, the cable networks have started to produce original programming for summertime viewing. Once of the leaders in this regard is TNT with their critically acclaimed and popular Closer series. Another strong effort in this category is USA Network’s Burn Notice, whose second season is now available on Blu-ray. I was never really impressed with the look of the show on USA’s HD channel. Will the Blu-ray be much of an improvement? Continue Reading

I had previously reviewed Dexter – The First Season on Blu-ray in January and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was anxiously awaiting receipt of the second season of the series to see if they could match the originality and drama of the first season. So, when the set arrived this week from the folks at CBS, I couldn’t wait to pop in the discs and give them a spin. Is the second season of Dexter as good as the first, you bet it is. Even better. Continue Reading

I’ve been a fan of South Park ever since a friend introduced me to the internet Christmas card that started it all. It was Santa versus Jesus and these short potty mouthed kids that somehow wormed their way under your skin. Pretty soon I was downloading the episodes and watching them on my computer. For some reason I can’t quite explain, I’ve very rarely watched an episode on Comedy Central. By the time things were getting tighter and riskier downloading the shorts, the single disc, 4 episode DVD’s began to arrive in stores. So, my South Park viewing moved from the PC to the DVD player. Continue Reading

There are only so many hours in a day. That along with the fact that I do not subscribe to Showtime are two of the reasons I did not catch the first season of Dexter during its initial run. In addition, the subject matter of the series didn’t sound very appealing so I even missed its debut on CBS.  However, I just returned from a trip to Paris where adverts for Dexter appeared in every Paris Metro or RER station. In fact, there were so many adverts for Dexter that I half expected to see a poster for Dexter hanging in the Louvre. Therefore, I thought why not give this release a spin when I got back. I am glad I did. Continue Reading

The arrival of Blu-ray and high definition home video has had an enormous effect on the documentary industry. Suddenly cinematographers can bring us to the most remote reaches of our globe and even beyond, and they can do so with such detail and sharpness it’s like opening a window to these once unreachable places. Wild China is a perfect example of this ability. With incredible HD equipment, this mini-series from the BBC brings the hidden realms of China into our living rooms. Continue Reading

I was very disappointed when Fox announced the release of Prison Break Season 3 on Blu-ray with no word about including the incredible Season 2 on the Blu-ray format. I was one of the late bloomers who did not watch the first 3 seasons of Prison Break while it was airing live on television. I was too busy with my favorite TV show, 24, to pay any attention to Prison Break. When I first saw a commercial for Season 1 I thought how dumb…when they finally break out of prison then what…the show would be over. Wow! Was I ever wrong! It was during the recent writer’s strike that I was looking for something to watch on my favorite format…Blu-ray. I heard so many good things about the show Prison Break that I decided to give Season 1 a chance when I found a new Blu-ray set for a real attractive price on eBay. My wife had never really even heard of the show. We were both instantly hooked and glued to our television viewing seats that week, engrossed in the never-ending cliffhangers that Fox River’s criminal society provided us. Continue Reading

I’ll admit I’m not a really fan of TV shows; I just really can’t get into the idea of watching an hour long episode every week that just drags you on until the next episode. For me it’s always been about movies, you sit down for a view and you get the whole story, complete and done, I don’t know I just like that concept. But as a reviewer sometimes you get the chance to view something a little different than your used to, today I got that chance as I sat down to review the Blu-ray release of Mad Men. Continue Reading

I like TV shows. It seems that most of the time I am always late to the party. It took me a year to watch 24 for the first time, 4 years to watch CSI and so on and so forth. The same thing can be said for Damages. I didn?t watch the first airing of it on FX. I honestly prefer to watch TV shows either on disc or via my on demand or DVR so I don?t have to deal with commercials. So, when I popped in Damages last night, I didn?t expect that I would be finished already. Yes, all thirteen 45 minutes episodes done. It was that addictive. Continue Reading

WHAT TIME IS IT? Well, actually it’s about 2:30pm EST during a snowstorm where I’m sitting, but had I asked the same question to either of my kids, or likely any preteen of the female gender, I may have been answered with: SUMMERTIME! followed by the rest of the theme from High School Musical 2, which has already been so ingrained into their very being, they have no choice but to break into song on cue. Yep, that even includes my 3 year old. You might think I’m a sad excuse for a parent, but maybe I’m just looking for ANY possible alternative to grown men singing about fruit salad. So yeah, we’re cool with HSM at my house, and it’s only easier to justify on Blu-ray.
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Having just reviewed Weeds Season One on Blu-ray it struck some curiosity on how the following seasons might play out. Luckily I have the chance to check it out now and get myself all up to date before the slated August 13th season three premier.

The second season of Weeds follows much the same formula as the first, and in case you haven’t seen the first season I suggest you do so beforehand. But for your benefit I’ll quickly run over what you’ve missed. Continue Reading