Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Enemy at the Gates (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 03, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/enemyatgates.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT><i>The year is 1942, and the Nazis are cutting a deadly swath through Russia. Under the leadership of Khrushchev, the citizens of Stalingrad are mounting a brave resistance, spurred by the exploits of their local hero, Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law). An expert sniper, Zaitsev's deeds have become legendary thanks to propaganda produced by his best friend, a political officer named Danilov (Joseph Fiennes). To stop Zaitsev, the Germans dispatch their best sniper, Major Konig (Ed Harris), to Stalingrad. When Zaitsev and Danilov both fall in love with a beautiful soldier, Danilov deserts his friend, leaving him to face his German counterpart alone. As the city burns, Zaitsev and Konig begin a cunning game of cat and mouse, waging a private war for courage, honor, and country.</i>

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Defiance
David Vaughn  |  Jun 02, 2009  |  First Published: Jun 03, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/defiance.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>The World War II true story of the Belski brothers' fight against the German army features an amazing 1080p AVC encode. It contains superior detail in both close-ups and long shots as well as rich color saturation, especially the greenery of the Belarusian forest. Audio-wise, the disc has its moments, but there are only a few scenes that are demo-worthy, one of which I highlight below.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Defiance (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 01, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/defiance.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Brothers Tuvia (Daniel Craig) and Zus (Live Schreiber) Bielski are farmers turned warriors when the Germans invade Poland in 1939. Along with their two younger brothers, Asael (Jamie Bell) and Aron (George MacKay), they flee into the Belarusian forest to survive and eventually fight back against the Nazis along with a group of Jewish refugees they vow to protect.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Revolutionary Road (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 01, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/revroad.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Based on the bestseller by Richard Yates about married life in the 1950s, April (Kate Winslet) and Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio) have what appears to be the perfect life&#151;a happy marriage, two kids, and a beautiful home in Connecticut. But behind the scenes, it's a different story. Frank loathes his job, and April's dream of becoming an actress is all but dead. Looking to improve their circumstances, April hatches a plan to leave the suburban life behind and move to Paris to discover new beginnings. But when unforeseen events derail her plan, what measures will she take to get things back on track?

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Big (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 01, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/big.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>After being denied admittance onto an amusement-park ride because he's not tall enough, 12-year-old Josh Baskin (David Moscow) places a quarter into a Zoltar machine and wishes he was big. When he awakes the next morning, his wish is granted and he's transformed into the body of a 30 year old (Tom Hanks). New to the adult world, he gets a job, earns his first paycheck, and gets the girl (Elizabeth Perkins) despite&#151;or perhaps because of&#151;his childlike mindset.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Neil Young: Archives Vol. 1 (1963–1972)
Mike Mettler  |  May 31, 2009
Reprise (10 Blu-ray Discs)
Archives ••••• Picture •••• Sound ••••• Extras •••••
"FUCK THE AUDIENCE." So say
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Falling Down—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  May 31, 2009
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 4/5
Freeways are clogged. Terror stalks our cities. At shops and restaurants, the customer is seldom right. Pressures of big-city life can anger anyone. But Bill Foster is more than angry. He's out to get even. Foster abandons his gridlocked car, license plate D-FENS, on the hottest day of the year and walks straight into an urban nightmare both absurdly funny and shatteringly violent. Michael Douglas is Foster, an ordinary guy at war with the frustrations of daily life. Robert Duvall is the savvy cop obsessed with stopping Fosters citywide rampage. This spellbinding thriller is their story, asking "Are we falling apart?".
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Gran Torino—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 31, 2009
Video: 4.25/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Korean War vet and retired autoworker Walt Kowalski doesn't much like how his life or his neighborhood has turned out. He especially doesn't like the people next door. Hmong immigrants from Southeast Asia. But events force Walt to defend those neighbors against a local gang that feeds on violence and fear.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
License to Kill—MGM (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 31, 2009
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 3.75/5
Extras: 3.75/5
When drug lord Franz Sanchez exacts his brutal vengeance on Bond's friend Felix Leiter, 007 resigns from the British Secret Service and begins a fierce vendetta against the master criminal. Bond won't be satisfied until Sanchez is defeated, and to accomplish this aim he allies himself with a beautiful pilot and Sanchez's sexy girlfriend. But Bond, relegated to outlaw status, must battle agents on both sides of the law as he discovers the horrifying extent of his prey's resources. In order to bring Sanchez down, Bond must survive a ferocious boat chase, a mid-air brawl over the controls of an out-of-control airplane, and an action-packed confrontation in the Mexico desert.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 31, 2009
Video: 3/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Kevin Costner triumphs as the legendary Sherwood Forest outlaw leader in this epic adventure bringing a 12th-century medieval world to spectacular screen life. Enhancing the fun are 12 added minutes of footage not seen in theatres, especially more juicy malevolence of Robin Hoods archenemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham. Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio also star in this lavish production lensed in Britain and France, where historic structures, majestic forests and vividly realistic recreations of Olde England combined to create a world at once ancient and ageless.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection—Paramount Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering, David Vaughn  |  May 31, 2009
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.25/5
Extras: 4/5
Prepare to boldly go where no man has gone before with the "Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection", an action-packed box set featuring the six films in their original theatrical versions starring the U.S.S. Enterprise's legendary crew.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Taken—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  May 31, 2009
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 4/5
When his estranged daughter is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy sets out to find her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, he tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Valkyrie—MGM (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  May 31, 2009
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 4.25/5
Based on the incredible true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and his ingenious assassination plot targeting Adolph Hitler, this engrossing thriller reenacts the daring operation to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Enemy At The Gates—Paramount Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 31, 2009
Video: 3/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2.5/5
The year is 1942 and the Nazis are cutting a deadly swath through Russia. Under the leadership of Kruschev, the citizens of Stalingrad are mounting a brave resistance, spurred by the exploits of their local hero, Vassili Zaitsev. An expert sniper, Vassili's deeds have become legendary - thanks to propaganda produced by Vassili's best friend, a political officer named Danilov. To stop Vassili, the Germans dispatch their best sniper, Major Konig, to Stalingrad. When Vassili and Danilov both fall in love with a beautiful soldier, Danilov deserts his friend, leaving Vassili to face his German counterpart alone. As the city burns, Vassili and Konig begin a cunning game of cat and mouse, waging a private war for courage, honor and country.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Seabiscuit
David Vaughn  |  May 29, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/seabiscuit.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>The little horse that could debuts on Blu-ray with a fantastic VC-1 encode and an encompassing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. It was difficult to pick only three scenes to highlight here, since virtually the entire film is filled with worthy scenes. For example, any of the racing sequences will give you the illusion of riding a horse in the middle of a high-stakes race with the animals' labored breathing and pounding hooves. The same can be said of the video and its impeccable attention to detail. Each of the three scenes below will give you a general idea of why this disc deserves the title of "Ultimate Demo."

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