Into the Blu

Mamma Mia! The Movie

Posted on 24. Dec, 2008 by Brian White.

Mamma Mia! The Movie was slated to be second on my to-do agenda after my next Blu-ray review was finished.  With repeated requests from my mother to finally write this review I decided to bump this one up on my list of reviews to get done.  Like all good stories there is a prologue.  My parents came over the evening December 13^th to watch The Dark Knight on Blu-ray.  After being overwhelmingly satisfied with The Dark Knight my mother petitioned for an encore Blu-ray presentation.  She eyed the Mamma Mia! The Movie Blu-ray she saw sitting on my media shelf, still sealed in the retail shrink-wrap, knowing full well that she would get to see her favorite movie of the year before its video release date.  I was reluctant to follow-up The Dark Knight with a screening of Mamma Mia! The Movie, but I pondered why not, I had to watch and review it sometime.  I figured at least if I did not enjoy it someone else would.  So without further ado here is my initial Blu-ray experience with Mamma Mia! The Movie. [...]

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I Am Legend (Ultimate Collector’s Edition)

Posted on 18. Dec, 2008 by Jeremy Frost.

Not only is this the second Blu-ray release of I Am Legend, it is also the third time the Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend has been adapted to film. The first time was The Last Man on Earth, starring Vincent Price, still the best version in my mind to date. The second attempt was the cult classic The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston, although major portions of the adaption were changed from the book. Finally we have are third version, this 2008 release of I Am Legend starring Will Smith.

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The X-Files: I Want to Believe

Posted on 16. Dec, 2008 by Jamie Shuhyta.

I used to love sitting down on Friday nights, turning on the X-Files and enjoying a show that was so different from anything else on TV. The X-Files unfortunately came and went, some say after its first few seasons it just lost its lust and just slipped away. In case you don’t remember The X-Files stared two FBI agents, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), and involved stories of paranormal and alien cover-ups.  This entry into The X-Files comes almost 6 years since the end, and over 10 years since the first X-Files movie hit the screen. So can a franchise that died so long ago, really make a comeback? Today I will review The X-Files: I Want to Believe on Blu-ray which was released on December 2, 2008 from 20^th century Fox. [...]

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Death Race

Posted on 12. Dec, 2008 by Brian White.

If you are a fan of the Twisted Metal video games, then I can guarantee you will love the movie Death Race. It is the closest thing I have ever seen to bringing the carnage and destruction of the video game to real life. With that being said, Death Race is not based on the video game Twisted Metal. I am just trying to paint a visual portrait of what to expect hoping that you actually know what I am talking about. In reality, the film is a remake of the 1975 movie Death Race 2000, based on Ib Melchior’s short story “The Racer.” [...]

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Wanted

Posted on 11. Dec, 2008 by Brian White.

“Who’s the man?’ “I am,” (words of actor James McAvoy) as I sit here writing the review to one of the hottest action-packed vehicles of the past summer; Wanted. This was definitely on the list as one of my must-see movies of the year. Wanted was marketed very aggressively and the trailers played up the proverbial hype. I must admit to not being the biggest Angelina Jolie fan in the world, but she portrayed her character flawlessly as an a#%-kicking heroine throughout the film and left me “wanting” more. It is an adrenaline-filled thrill ride for the action junkie in all of us wanting to escape our everyday mundane lives. Do I even need to elaborate more on that last comment? [...]

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The Dark Knight

Posted on 10. Dec, 2008 by Brian White.

The E! tagline says it all…”One of the most anticipated films of all-time.” The Dark Knight really needs no introduction. Since first hearing the official press release news on September 26^th of the Blu-ray’s eventual release date, I have been obsessing over the December 9^th release date in almost a religious fashion. I made sure to notify my day job as soon as possible upon hearing the news that I would be requiring the day of December 9^th off so I can sit there in my robe all day long and absorb all of the special features. [...]

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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Posted on 08. Dec, 2008 by Gino Sassani.

“Things never happen the same way twice.”

C.S. Lewis created an incredibly imaginative world when he wrote his Chronicles Of Narnia. The stories were an escape, of sorts, from a war torn Europe. They integrated elements of Christianity in an effort to provide a semblance of hope in the form of a children’s fairy tale. And like all such tales, the world of Narnia was first and foremost a place of magic and bewilderment. [...]

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Posted on 06. Dec, 2008 by Brian White.

Much like my recent review of The Love Guru, this will probably be the kindest review you will read regarding the Blu-ray release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I will be the first to admit that I thought this movie was a mistake from the beginning, an abomination to the Star Wars franchise and just plain out wrong. I may have been right in every aforementioned aspect or it may solely be up to the eye of the beholder to judge what he or she likes. I too often find my opinions biased and swayed towards the directions of the critics and to my surprise I end up enjoying the particular film in question. [...]

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Get Smart

Posted on 03. Dec, 2008 by Kristina Kehler.

Nearly forty five years ago Mel Brooks and Buck Henry first aired a unique spin on the increasingly popular secret agent genre. Sure this was decades before my time, but I’ve heard all about the show and the 138 episodes it aired over five years, satirizing then popular programs like Mission Impossible and the budding James Bond franchise. Sure some years have gone by, technology has changed and some then popular gadgets have become common place, but one thing never grows old, laughter. With a sequel already planned and an impressive box office run I expect some great things out of Get Smart, will Steve Carell fit into the phone shoes of Agent 86? [...]

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Wall-E

Posted on 20. Nov, 2008 by Gino Sassani.

Pixar has managed to climb out from under its first less than stellar effort in Ratatouille. The studio took a huge gamble with WALL-E. It was one a lesser successful studio would have been either unwilling or unable to do. While the film contains enough cute moments and clever animated characters to entertain the kids, this film was most certainly made with adults in mind. Don’t worry, there aren’t any kinds of things that would not be appropriate for children. I just am not sure that the style of this CG animation project will hold near the same appeal to a younger attention span. [...]

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The Love Guru

Posted on 12. Nov, 2008 by Brian White.

OK…so yes…the premise of The Love Guru is about as ridiculous as the name of the movie sounds. Couldn’t you tell just by looking at the diverse characters on the Blu-ray Disc cover art? But there is just something about the movie that I find charming and it has become quite a guilty pleasure of mine. I can almost guarantee, out of all the reviews you will read on The Love Guru, mine will probably be the most kind. Many critics and reviewers will claim this movie is devoid of any laughs but I humbly disagree. [...]

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The Happening

Posted on 15. Oct, 2008 by Kristina Kehler.

Not long since his last disappointing release, M. Night Shyamalan hopes to bring some credibility back to his once reputable name with The Happening. Plagued with accusations of plagiarism and labelled as a one trick pony, bringing some credibility back to the table wouldn’t be an easy feat for anyone. But we have to hand it to Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense and Signs are easily classics in their genres, I’ll even give The Village a nod. But on the flipside, out of six major releases, only two have really hit it big, bating at one third and barely making back it’s budget I’m not sure I like the odds going into this one. [...]

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Street Kings

Posted on 22. Aug, 2008 by Jamie Shuhyta.

Woo… no one can be told exactly what The Matrix is…. oh oops… wrong movie. Ok so every time I see Keanu Reeves all I can ever picture is Neo and that damn Matrix, talk about a lasting role for an actor. But as you know The Matrix hasn’t hit Blu-ray yet, it’s coming in Oct, so today I will review one of Keanu’s other flicks, Street Kings on Blu. [...]

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The Eye

Posted on 21. Jul, 2008 by Jamie Shuhyta.

The Eye was not a great movie but it’s not horrible either, it’s simply an average movie. In a growing trend of recent Japanese/Chinese horror remakes The Eye is actually one of the better. Released in 2008, the film stars Jessica Alba as Sydney Wells. It is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong-Thai-Singaporean film of the same name, “Jian Gui,” which in my opinion is also the better of the two. Today I will review The Eye on Blu-ray. [...]

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Rambo

Posted on 07. Jul, 2008 by Jamie Shuhyta.

I have to admit that when I heard Sly Stallone was coming out of retirement to make another Rambo flick I swear I almost fell out of my chair laughing. I mean who in their right mind at 60+ years old decides to revive a franchise based on a muscle bound action hero?? All I could picture was some old man with cane in hand fighting of gangs of old people at the local retirement home for the last piece of Jell-o…… Rambo: The Geriatric Adventure. With these low expectations I sat down for a viewing of the last Rambo flick Hollywood will ever make… [...]

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Alien vs. Predator

Posted on 18. May, 2008 by Ryan Keefer.

I give credit to Paul Anderson for being passionate about his material. It doesn’t hurt that, in his short-storied career, he’s directed some of the more memorable films over the last several years, including Daniel Day Lewis in the engrossing and excellent There Will Be Blood. Wait, this isn’t the dramatic director, it’s another guy? Well, OK.

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