Into the Blu

It was only a few months ago that I would see these posters of garden gnomes all over the local mall advertising for the movie Gnomeo & Juliet. It seemed that they were everywhere, which is normally not a good sign for the ultimate success of the film. It didn’t take a Mensa member to figure out that the film was a take off on Romeo & Juliet, featuring the music of Elton John. However, the film was out of the local cineplex fairly soon due to mediocre box office results, which is not surprising given the short length of time it took for the film to make its way to home video. Nevertheless, the film seemed like an interesting concept so I decided to request a review copy, in 2D. Well, it has finally arrived as has my review. Continue Reading

When it comes to films produced by Michael Bay, I can’t say that I really expect all that much in the terms of quality. You know, a quality screenplay, quality dialogue and character development. There are plenty of quality special effects, CGI and wiz bang sound effects, but not that much else. If you have seen Transformers or even worse, Transformers 2, you know the score. I was therefore expecting more of the same when the subject of this review, I Am Number Four, showed up on my doorstep. While not directed by Michael Bay, would I Am Number Four follow the Michael Bay playbook? 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

I always wince a bit when I hear that a particular film, TV show or record is a “Cult favorite”. After all, a particular piece of “media” can’t be anywhere near a commercial hit or it wouldn’t have “cult” status. Therefore, for me, cult status and commercial bomb are often times synonymous. Often times there is a very good reason why a particular piece of media is a bomb, and that is because is wasn’t very good in the first place. That isn’t always the case, as certain films and albums are simply ahead of their times and had they been release later in different times, would have struck more of a chord with the mass audience. 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

All college hoop fans are surely aware of the Big 5, the collection of 5 Philadelphia area based colleges that have been playing basketball in their own association since the 1950′s. It is unique and there is nothing else like it in college basketball. There is another Big 5 out there as well, at least according to film historians and that is the 5 films that form the foundation of the Disney Empire. Those films are Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi and Dumbo. The first three of this so-called Big 5 have already made their way to Blu-ray. The fourth, Bambi, is finally making its debut on Blu-ray as well. Continue Reading

The old saying goes that life is full of missed opportunities. While that is certainly the case from personal experience, the same can just as readily be said about the movie business. You see a great trailer, a film with a great cast and/or an interesting or promising premise and are disappointed when you actually see the film. Sometimes it is the trailer which is edited and presented in such a way as to give the viewer a false or at best a misleading look at the film. In some cases, that great cast isn’t so great and simply mails it in. In other cases, while the idea for the film is a good one, the script is just not up to the task. Sometimes the fault lies with one of these areas and at times a combination or all three. The result, a missed opportunity. Just such a missed opportunity is the subject of this review, You Again. 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

Needless to say, there are many films about famous people or events. The best of these films are able to pull you into the narrative despite the fact that the ending of the film is well known before you enter the theater. It is the back story, the story behind the story that is often the critical element in making such films as captivating as they are. It is the little things about the lives and circumstances of the real life characters that contribute to the narrative and that makes these films so successful. A perfect example of just such a captivating back story is that of Penny Chenery which is the backbone of the film that is the subject of this review, Secretariat. Continue Reading

Disney is no stranger to the direct-to-video market and for the holiday season it’s a sure bet we’ll see some sort of Christmas themed special. The Search for Santa Paws fills that criteria and Disney has put a lot of money into promoting the film, which leaves me to wonder if the film is a good flick to pick for a Christmas gift.

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It has been a long time since I have watched Fantasia or Fantasia 2000. I probably haven’t watched them since their original release on DVD and they have been collecting dust on the bookshelf ever since. I am not sure why that is the case as they are both interesting films featuring some wonderful music and some very interesting video. As I recall, both looked and sounded great on DVD and it was with some anticipation that I awaited their eventual release on Blu-ray to see not only how they looked in high def, but how they sounded with a full lossless audio track. I can report that both films have never looked or sounded better.

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The past several weeks have seen some very significant Blu-ray releases, with some long awaited films such as the Alien films and the Back to the Future trilogy making their ways into the hands of some very happy collectors. We have also seen some great films restored to their original glory and brought to Blu-ray for the first time, with The Sound of Music and Bridge On The River Kwai coming immediately to mind. However, truly great films are hard to come by. Pure dreck is much more prevalent at the cineplex and is well represented in some of the newer releases on Blu. Most films, however, lie in between the dreck and the great. Most of these are just fun films. Not great but often times filled with plenty of action and stellar special effects and just enough of a plot to keep you mildly interested. One such film is the subject of this review. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

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