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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Casino Royale (Blu-ray)
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 14, 2007  |  1 comments

Bond is back, and he's a bad man. Yes, 007 has blond hair and blue eyes for the first time, but it's his character that takes on much darker tones here. His license to kill is his primary occupation, not a smart-ass tagline and Daniel Craig is almost feral under the cool veneer of James Bond. This remarkable and gritty new entry takes the series out of the realm of gadgets (no Q anywhere to be found) and special effects, and back into the realm of hard, breathtaking physical stunts, which is something director Martin Campbell, of <I>Mask of Zorro</I> fame, excels at. Even the theme song is grungy, being sung by former Soundgarden front man Chris Cornell. And it's exhilirating from the opening foot chase to the finale. Not only is Bond back, I can't wait for him to return!

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Night At the Museum (Blu-ray)
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 14, 2007  |  0 comments

What a fun surprise this turned out to be! <I>Night at the Museum</I> stars Ben Stiller as Larry, a wannabe entreprenuer who just can't make it happen for himself. His ex-wife is remarried, and Larry's son Nick now wants to be a straight business man like his step-Dad. Seeking to impress Nick that he's a reliable Dad, Larry grabs a job as the night watchman at the Museum of Natural History. There's something immediately off about the orientation given to Larry by the outgoing trio of watchmen (led by Dick Van Dyke in an inspired turn), not to mention the oddly thick packet of hand written job instructions they hand him.

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No SATA For This Comcast Monkey
Shane Buettner  |  Apr 14, 2007  |  7 comments

According to Comcast, the SATA port on the back of my Motorola DTC3416 set-top box/DVR isn't yet active and there are no promises on when, or even if it will be activated. I have to admit I'm halfway considering testing this out for myself to make sure the info I got from Comcast is correct. I had a 500GB drive with a sleek case picked out already, and the entire rig would only cost about $170.

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Would You Like a Movie With That Collectible?
Gary Frisch  |  Apr 13, 2007  |  0 comments
The film is almost an afterthought in this recent crop of enhanced DVD packages.

In the beginning, there was DVD.

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Four-Disc Extended Edition—Disney
Gary Frisch  |  Apr 13, 2007  |  0 comments
Video: 3
Audio: 4
Extras: 5
The magical world of Narnia gets even more enchanted with this massive four-disc set, available both alone and as part of a gift package that includes collectible bookends. The film itself is seven minutes longer than the theatrical release and the two previous DVD versions, but there’s nothing to call out the new material.
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Miami Vice—Universal
Gary Frisch  |  Apr 13, 2007  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
Michael Mann revisits the iconic ‘80s TV show he helmed with this humorless, straight-for-the-jugular film adaptation, which puts Colin Farrell’s Crockett and Jamie Foxx’s Tubbs deep undercover against a drug cartel. In his audio commentary, the director terms the DVD the “more extensive” cut—completed weeks after the release of the theatrical version—rather than the “extended” or “director’s” cut. In any case, this unrated version runs six minutes longer and, presumably, includes some violent moments not seen theatrically.
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The Doors 15th Anniversary Edition—Lionsgate
Tony DeCarlo  |  Apr 13, 2007  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 5
Extras: 2
Val Kilmer gives a vastly underrated performance as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s 1991 The Doors, a somewhat thin examination of the life of one of rock’s most admired and misunderstood front men. Awash in a mix of alcohol, drugs, and sex, Kilmer nails the Morrison persona. Although the material gives a less than three-dimensional view of the man, his performance is incredible.
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All the King’s Men—Sony Pictures
Adrienne Maxwell  |  Apr 13, 2007  |  0 comments
Audio: 4
Video: 4
Extras: 3
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Music Disc Reviews
The Beatles Love—Apple/Capitol
Steve Guttenberg  |  Apr 13, 2007  |  0 comments
We’ve all made mix “tapes” of our favorite tunes, and now the Beatles’ producer, Sir George Martin, has made his—Love was conceived for the Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas stage show. Or perhaps Love was inspired by the infamous Danger Mouse/Jay-Z mashup, The Grey Album, but, whatever the reason, I’m thrilled with Love, it’s all you need, after all.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut—Warner Brothers (HD DVD)
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Apr 13, 2007  |  First Published: Mar 13, 2007  |  0 comments
Video: 3
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
Oddly enough, I’ve seen this movie a bunch of times, at least in its original form. Kneel before Zod! Most of this movie was shot concurrently with the original Superman, but the producers took it away from director Richard Donner and made it more comic-bookish by putting it into the hands of a new and mostly disliked director, Richard Lester. The punished trio from the beginning of the first movie break free and decide to take over Earth. Superman does what he does and makes Terrence Stamp cry.
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