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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Spaceballs—MGM (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jul 05, 2009
Video: 3.75/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 4.5/5
When the evil Dark Helmet attempts to steal all the air from planet Druidia, a determined Druish Princess, a clueless rogue and a half-man/half-dog creature who's his own best friend set out to stop him! But with the forces of darkness closing in on them at ludicrous speed, they'll need the help of a wise imp named Yogurt and the mystical power of "The Schwartz" to bring peace and merchandising rights to the entire galaxy.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Knowing—Summit (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jul 05, 2009
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead. Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsule's contents and the girl's cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Koestler. But it's Caleb's father, professor John Koestler, who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As John further unravels the document's chilling secrets, he realizes the document foretells three additional events - the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve John and his son.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Push—Summit (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jul 05, 2009
Video: 5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Hang on tight as a gang of super-powered paranormal operatives takes you on a white-knuckle thrill ride. The excitement starts when a future-seeing Watcher convinces a telekinetic Mover to help steal a briefcase that holds a billion-dollar secret. But to outrun government agents, they must enlist a mind controlling Pusher who could be their salvation - or their doom.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Grumpy Old Men—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jul 05, 2009
Video: 3.75/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 1/5
Two elderly, eccentric, next-door neighbors sustain a rancorous relationship that only a wise observer could recognize as a very special friendship. When a lonely, flamboyant, middle-aged widow moves in across the street from them, the male rivalry begins. One of the great screen duos of all time - Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau - reunite in this romantic comedy that examines the decades-old love-hate relationship between two neighbors and the way their lives are thrown into total upheaval when a lovely, free-spirited widow moves in across the street.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Greatest Game Ever Played—Walt Disney Pictures (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jul 05, 2009
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 2.75/5
Shia LaBeouf stars as amateur golfer Francis Ouimet. Armed with nothing but talent, the working-class youth has a seemingly impossible dream: to compete against the world's greatest player, his idol Harry Vardon. Soon, with the help of his spunky, 10-year-old caddy Eddie, Francis boldly breaks down all barriers with a thrilling display of unrivaled drive, skill, and heart...and challenges the golf pro for the U.S. Open Championship!
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Code—First Look (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jul 05, 2009
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.25/5
Extras: 2/5
While pulling a down-and-dirty jewelry heist on a subway train, Jack encounters Ripley, a legendary thief who was casing the same job. In spite of Jack's initial reluctance, Ripley manages to rope him into helping pull off an impossible job: the theft of two previously undiscovered Faberge Imperial Eggs from the heavily guarded vault of a New York diamond wholesaler. The vault, unfortunately, is controlled by former KGB operatives who are secretly looting the Russian National Treasury. To add more stress to the situation, Ripley's beautiful goddaughter Alex has a romantic liaison with Jack, which causes additional strain to their fragile partnership. Staying one step ahead of the NYPD, the FBI, the diamond merchants and a vicious Russian crime boss determined to have the priceless eggs for himself, Jack and Ripley must figure out how to pull the heist and make it out alive without betraying one another, or themselves.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Children of the Corn—Anchor Bay (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jul 05, 2009
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Something unspeakable is alive in the cornfields of rural Gatlin, Nebraska, where a boy preacher has led the village's children in a slaughter of all the adults. But when a traveling couple stumble across this deserted town, they become prisoners of child madman Isaac, his henchman Malachai and their kid cult of unholy believers. Judgment Day has arrived: Will the blood of the "outlanders" flow in sacrifice to their god or is the final fury of "He Who Walks Behind The Rows" coming for them all?
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A/V Veteran
1776 and All That Stuff
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 04, 2009

We have a gaggle of national holidays, but only a few aren't moved around to fall on a Monday so we can all enjoy a three-day weekend. The fixed dates of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years come to mind. No matter how much some might want to change them, New Years always falls on January 1, Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without Black Friday following it, and Christmas is a religious holiday (don't remind the wrong crowd of that) whose date was set in stone centuries before the U.S. of A. was the U.S. of A.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Do the Right Thing
David Vaughn  |  Jul 03, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/dothing.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Spike Lee's 20-year-old masterpiece depicts the racial tensions in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, but the film has aged well. While not as polished as a day-and-date release, this catalog title features outstanding color saturation, excellent detail, clear dialog, and a great surround-sound demo scene in the third act right before all hell breaks loose. Sure, the subject matter is heavy and thought provoking, but it looks and sounds fantastic too!

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Ask S&V
Lightning, Apartment Sound, CDs
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 03, 2009
Lightning Strikes Again
I live in the Southeast where lightning is a serious problem. I was recently advised by an electrical contractor to have a whole-house surge protector installed. I am inclined to do this. However, I first wanted to find out if this would have a negative effect on my audio system.
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