David Vaughn

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/loveactually.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>It's a few weeks before Christmas, and love is in the air in England for the ensemble cast that includes Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney, and Kiera Knightley. All of the characters' lives are intertwined in one way or another, and somehow writer/director Richard Curtis keeps all the different stories interesting and emotionally stirring.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/gijoe.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>While protecting a top-secret warhead, two NATO soldiers code-named Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) are saved from certain doom by agents of G.I. Joe, an secret military organization armed with the latest in military technology. After the attack, the two are recruited into G.I. Joe's ranks, and their mission is to stop a terrorist who uses nanotechnology for nefarious purposes.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/sayanything.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Lloyd (John Cusack) is the eternal optimist and tries to capture the heart of Diane (Ione Skye), valedictorian of his high school class. When she accepts his invitation to attend an end-of-the-year party, his fellow students are surprised to see the two together, and it's the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Unfortunately for Lloyd, the summer romance of his dreams has its share of emotional pitfalls.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/contact.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>When Carl Sagan wrote <i>Contact</i>, he framed it in the context of a feature film, and it shows. Where most sci-fi flicks rely on wiz-bang special effects and evil alien invaders, this one is story-driven and has a firm grasp on real science. The video encode is solid, but it's the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack that steals the show with an immersive surround experience, first-rate frequency response, and superlative dynamic range.