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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Clerks II 2-Disc Edition (HD DVD)
Shane Buettner  |  Feb 03, 2007  |  5 comments

In an effort to outperform the original, sequels invariably spend more money, have more explosions, more action, more stunts and more special effects. In this spirit I suppose it's inevitable that Kevin Smith's <I>Clerks II</I> would turn to bestiality (er, "interspecies erotica") in an effort to go where even the original <I>Clerks</I> hadn't gone before. The original did feature necrophilia as a set piece after all. And there's also a hilariously wrong homage to <I>Silence of the Lambs</I> here that anyone who sees this film will never forgive Kevin Smith or Jason Mewes for.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Alien Vs. Predator (Blu-ray)
Shane Buettner  |  Feb 03, 2007  |  0 comments

OK, <I>AVP's</I> concept, such as it is, of pitting two of cinema's most known monsters against each other in mortal combat (not <I>Mortal Kombat</I>) began back in the day as a graphic novel. A graphic novel is a comic book of allegedly higher aesthetic and narrative value not necessarily aimed at little kids. However, even a comic book would be embarrassed at the setup here in which these two cinematic make-up and effects legends duke it out. Any teenager who reads Fangoria magazine could have dreamed this one up. And hell, who cares what he excuses are, we just want to see the Aliens and Predators run amok, which they do.

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LCD TV Reviews
Sony KDL-70XBR3 LCD: First Look
 |  Feb 02, 2007  |  First Published: Feb 03, 2007  |  0 comments

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
DVD Review: Viva Pedro
Sol Louis Siegel  |  Feb 02, 2007  |  0 comments
Movie •••• Picture •••• Sound •••½ Extras ••½
This terrific survey of Pedro Almodóvar's work covers a wide range of the dire
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The Squid and the Whale Special Edition—Sony Pictures
Ryan Vincent  |  Feb 02, 2007  |  First Published: May 02, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 4
A friend’s mom had told him to see writer-director Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale, which is about a family splitting apart with two boys that are years apart. I thought her recommendation very odd since this situation mirrored my friend’s family in high school. But now it makes perfect sense, as no other film encapsulates as well the black comedy that is divorce.
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Serenity—Universal
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Feb 02, 2007  |  First Published: May 02, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
Fox bungled the short run of Firefly by showing the episodes out of sequence—and in the worst possible time slot it could find. What a surprise—they canceled it. On the strength of word of mouth, the DVD set of the series sold so well that a movie was green-lit. Would the movie be as good as the TV show? Would it work on the big screen? Would anyone see it? Well, yes, yes, and no.
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Lady and the Tramp 50th Anniversary Edition—Buena Vista
Chris Chiarella  |  Feb 02, 2007  |  First Published: May 02, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 5
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
Disney’s love letter to dogs everywhere, Lady and the Tramp remains a sweet, funny adventure. This new 50th Anniversary Edition replaces the 1999 movie-only release, extensively restored, remixed, and remastered.
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Crash Two-Disc Director’s Cut Edition—Lionsgate
Tony DeCarlo  |  Feb 02, 2007  |  First Published: May 02, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
This is a special one. The newly minted Academy Award winner for Best Motion Picture is set in L.A., but it could be about all of America, warts and all. Paul Haggis’ script (he also directed) has such depth and insight into thoughts that we have—sometimes fleeting, sometimes ones that are ingrained about race, stereotypes, and prejudice—that it makes you question yourself. The performances are superb. The cast turns in Oscar-worthy performances all around.
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The Dukes of Hazzard Unrated Edition—Warner Brothers
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Feb 02, 2007  |  First Published: May 02, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
I have a pretty low opinion of remakes of classic TV shows. But I loved The Dukes of Hazzard when I was a kid, and the cast and crew on this one seemed like they could reproduce the stupid fun of the TV show. Well, I think they did a great job. That’s right—I think this movie is fun and funny. To anyone expecting more, I have to ask, “Did you ever see the TV show?” It stars Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott, who have made careers of having fun in bad movies, and Jessica Simpson, who allegedly has a career doing something. The plot revolves around the Duke boys needing to save Uncle Jesse’s farm (duh). An oddly cast Burt Reynolds is pretty good as Boss Hogg, and a simply odd Willie Nelson is surprisingly funny.
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Two-Disc Special Edition—Warner Brothers
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Feb 02, 2007  |  First Published: May 02, 2006  |  0 comments
Video: 4
Audio: 5
Extras: 5
I was so unimpressed with the first two Harry Potter movies that I didn’t bother to see the third or this one in theaters. Boy, did I miss out. This and Prisoner of Azkaban are excellent. In this episode of the Harry Potter serials, Hogwarts is playing host to the Triwizard Tournament. Somehow, Harry’s name gets entered, even though he’s too young. From the little touches of the teenagers’ growing pains to the significant plot developments in the Potter canon, you shouldn’t miss this one. Oh, and there’s a bunch of action, too.
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