Thomas J. Norton

When Pioneer released its first KURO plasma sets last year, its eighth generation of plasmas overall, they met with nearly universal praise. Critics acclaimed the KURO series for the new standards it set with the depth of its blacks. Fittingly, the word “kuro” means deep, dark, and penetrating in Japanese.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/patton.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Released in 1970, <I>Patton</I> is the cream of the crop of World War II films released recently on Blu-ray by 20th Century Fox. The film won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. George C. Scott, in the title role, famously turned down the honor as he didn't believe in competing with other actors. That takes nothing away from one of the most compelling performances ever put on film.