Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Buried—Lionsgate
Kris Deering  |  Feb 01, 2011  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Paul Conroy is not ready to die. But when he wakes up 6 feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining batter, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time - fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul has only 90 minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare becomes true.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Red Hill—Sony Pictures
Kris Deering  |  Feb 01, 2011  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: .5/5
Constable Shane Cooper arrives in the small town of Red Hill in search of a quieter life. But, on Cooper's first day with the Red Hill Police Department, a convicted murderer escapes from prison and heads straight for Red Hill to kill the men who put him there. One by one, the townsmen fall until Cooper discovers the shocking truth about the convict, and must challenge everything he believes in order to stop the massacre and bring justice to "Red Hill".
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Monsters—Magnet
Kris Deering  |  Jan 31, 2011  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear there and half of Mexico was quarantined as an "Infected Zone". Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain "the creatures"... Our story begins when a US journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through the infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the US border.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Nowhere Boy—Sony Pictures Classics
Kris Deering  |  Jan 31, 2011  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2.5/5
"Nowhere Boy" captures and conveys the crucial formative teenage years of John Lennon. For the first time on screen, it depicts the events and personal circumstances that led to the formation of the Beatles - and the underlying family currents that shaped and molded the creative and inspirational qualities of John Lennon. Qualities that had a revolutionary impact on the world during his brief 40 years of life - and that continue to have immense effect 30 years after his death.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Middle Men—Paramount Vantage
Kris Deering  |  Jan 31, 2011  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 1.5/5
In 1995, everyone had a VCR, music was sold in record stores, and the world wide web was a newfound discovery. Businessman Jack Harris had the perfect life - a beautiful family and a successful career fixing problem companies. Then he met Wayne Beering and Buck Dolby, two geniuses but troubled men, who had invented the way adult entertainment is sold over the internet. When Jack agrees to help steer their business, he soon finds himself caught between a 23-year-old porn star and the FBI, all the while becoming one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs of his time. Witness a story so outrageous, you won't believe it's true. A story that proves business is a lot like sex: getting in is easy, pulling out is hard.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Alice in Wonderland - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 31, 2011  | 
While dozing off, young Alice dreams about falling down a rabbit hole that is populated by a peculiar series of misadventures. The always sensible Alice whirls through a world of contradictions, imagination, and surprises where she encounters amazing creatures including a pocket watch-toting White Rabbit, the imperious Queen of Hearts and her army of playing cards, and a Cheshire Cat with a lingering smile.

Walt Disney was one of the most influential movie makers of the 20th Century and had considered adapting Lewis Carroll's famous story in 1933, but shelved the idea after Paramount released its version. He later had artist David Hall create some concept art for the project, but WWII intervened and his animated version didn't hit the screen until 1951. On a recent visit to the Walt Disney Museum in San Francisco, I discovered that Walt wasn't too keen on the results of the film and complained that it had no "heart." I tend to agree with him and as a kid this was one of my least favorite Disney productions.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Almost Famous (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 30, 2011  | 
William (Patrick Fugit) is a 15-year-old music fan who gets a dream assignment to travel with an up-and-coming band and write a cover story for Rolling Stone magazine. His mother (Frances McDormand) isn't thrilled with the gig, but the young man hits the road with the band and learns there's more to write about than just music.

Writer/director Cameron Crowe burst on the scene in 1982 by penning Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which went on to become a hit with the teen audience. He wasn't a one hit wonder by writing/directing Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, and then the film based on his own youth, Almost Famous. While I can't particularly relate to the era (I'm more of an 80s guy), there were certain aspects of the film that gave me a chuckle. For example, my daughter is almost 15 and I couldn't imagine her going on the road with a band, so I certainly empathized with his mother's reaction.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Color Purple (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 27, 2011  | 
Celie (Whoopi Goldberg) is a southern black woman virtually sold into a life of servitude to a brutal husband, sharecropper Albert (Danny Glover). Celie pours out her innermost thoughts in letters to her sister Nettie (Akousa Busia), but Albert has been hiding the return correspondence making Celie believe she's dead. Finally, Celie finds champions in her daughter-in-law, the take-no-shit Sofia (Oprah Winfrey) and the glamorous Shug Avery (Margaret Avery), a local entertainer.

Up until Steven Spielberg produced and directed this film, he was more known for "popular" cinematic titles such as Jaws, Indiana JonesE.T and he hadn't had to deal with meaty subjects such as rape, incest, and woman's rights. Ultimately the film received 11 Academy Award nominations (winning none) and Spielberg proved he was up for the challenge and went on to become one of the best director's of his generation.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Secretariat—Walt Disney Pictures
Kris Deering  |  Jan 26, 2011  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Behind every legend lies an impossible dream. Witness the spectacular journey of an incredible horse, Secretariat, and the moving story of his unlikely owner, a housewife who risked everything to make him a champion.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Cyrus—Fox Searchlight Pictures
Kris Deering  |  Jan 24, 2011  | 
Video: 3/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Still single seven years after the breakup of his marriage; John has all but given up on romance. But at the urging of his ex-wife and best friend Jamie, John grudgingly agrees to join her and her fiancé Tim at a party. To his and everyone else's surprise, he actually manages to meet someone: the gorgeous and spirited Molly. Their chemistry is immediate. The relationship takes off quickly but Molly is oddly reluctant to take the relationship beyond John's house. Perplexed, he follows her home and discovers the other man in Molly's life: her son, Cyrus. A 21-year-old new age musician, Cyrus is his mom's best friend and shares an unconventional relationship with her. Cyrus will go to any lengths to protect Molly and is definitely not ready to share her with anyone, especially John. Before long, the two are locked in a battle of wits for the woman they both love - and it appears only one man can be left standing when it's over.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Alice In Wonderland—Walt Disney Pictures
Kris Deering  |  Jan 24, 2011  | 
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Join Alice as she chases the White Rabbit and journeys into a topsy-turvy world that gets "curiouser and curiouser" as her fantastical adventures unfold. Meet the Mad Hatter, March Hare, Tweedledee & Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts and more unforgettable characters, all set against a backdrop of awe-inspiring splendor.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Secretariat (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 24, 2011  | 
Behind every legend lies and impossible dream. Witness the spectacular journey of an incredible horse named Secretariat and the moving story of his unlikely owner (Diane Lane), a housewife who risked everything to make him a champion.

Disney is never one to shy away from an inspirational sports story and while this doesn't live up to the magic of Miracle, it has a lot of heart and explains the struggles Penny Chenery had to endure to be a woman in a male dominate world. I'm sure there were some liberties taken with some of the facts to liven-up the story, but that's not uncommon in Hollywood. Regardless, the performances are very good, especially by Lane and John Malkovich, who plays the eccentric Canadian horse trainer.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Open Season 3—Sony Pictures Entertainment
Kris Deering  |  Jan 20, 2011  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Boog, Elliot and all their forest friends return with an all-new adventure that is their fastest and furriest yet - this time in a big top circus! When Boog's buddies can't make their annual guys-only getaway, he decides to take a trip by himself. Stumbling across a visiting circus, Boog switches places with a look-alike circus grizzly and takes over his part in the act. But when the circus decides to go back to Russia, it's a race against time for Elliot, McSquizzy, Mr. Weenie and the gang to rescue Boog before it's too late.
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Blu-ray Movie ReviewsAudio Video News
Star Wars Trilogy Hitting Blu-ray September 27th According to Amazon
Stan Horaczek  |  Jan 20, 2011  | 

We managed to catch the trailer for the upcoming release of the Star Wars saga on Blu-ray out at CES. During the presentation, which was put on by Panasonic, they marched out an Amazon exec to announce that pre-orders were going live, but there was still no release date to be had.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Life As We Know It—Warner Bros.
Kris Deering  |  Jan 20, 2011  | 
Video: 3/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Holly is an up-and-coming caterer and Messer is a promising network sports director. After a disastrous first date, all they have in common is their dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter Sophie. But when they suddenly become all Sophie has in this world, Holly and Messer must set their differences aside. Juggling career ambitions and competing social calendars, they'll have to find common ground while living under the same roof.
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