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Audio Video News
Sucking Up to Blu, In a Bad Way
SV Staff  |  Jun 12, 2008
As you'll recall, Paramount came up a loser in the HD DVD/Blu-ray battle. Its exclusive support for HD DVD proved to be as adept as the $100 I put on Big Brown at Belmont. DFL, as they say. Anyway, Paramount is now embracing its inner Blu - kind of....
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Audio Video News
Light of My Life
SV Staff  |  Jun 12, 2008
Listening to music is boring, right? I mean, it's just sound. There's nothing to look at or anything. That's why you'll gladly spend $2,000 on a TV, but balk at paying $200 for speakers. Right? Well, maybe. Clearly, flat screens are all the rage,...
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Audio Video News
Warner Shakes It Up
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jun 12, 2008
Warner Bros. will kill the recently merged New Line Cinema, cut its overall theatrical release schedule in half, and build profit streams from Blu-ray and video on demand, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes recently told an investor conference.
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Test Report: Mitsubishi
Al Griffin  |  Jun 11, 2008

The Short Form

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Other Tech
To the Victor Go the Spoils?
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jun 11, 2008

After 4 years of testy hostility and 2 more years of bare-knuckled conflict, the war between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc came to an abrupt end. Hours before the start of the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Warner Bros. announced that it was abandoning HD DVD. Warner is the largest studio in the home-entertainment market, and its decision tipped the scales.

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Other Tech
Paul Shaffer's Greatest Hits
 |  Jun 11, 2008

Paul Shaffer has spent pretty much his whole career standing just off to one side of center stage. Everybody knows him from his 26 years as David Letterman's bandleader and sidekick.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Patton—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 11, 2008
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 3.5/5
While he may not have been the most popular General of World War II there is no denying his effectiveness and contribution to the campaign. Patton has become one of the benchmarks for character biographies and George C. Scott's Oscar winning performance is nearly one of legend. The film does a great job showing both sides of Patton's personality and leaves it to the viewer to decide his own opinions on the man's methods and ideas.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Fool’s Gold—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 11, 2008
Video: 3.75/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 2/5
Last time we saw this couple together they were trying their best to lose each other while falling in love at the same time. This time isn't too different except the couple is already married and in the process of a divorce. I guess treasure hunting doesn't keep the thrills alive like it used to. Fool's Gold is a fun ride that is good brainless fun with a little bit of action flare. The film is set in the beautiful Caribbean and balances a good mix of adventure, flirting and romance. While I wouldn't put in the same category of adventure as National Treasure or the Indy films, it is still good popcorn fun with a good cast and gorgeous scenery.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Bucket List—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 11, 2008
Video: 4.25/5
Audio: 3.25/5
Extras: 2.75/5
This film didn't seem to get much buzz at the box office despite the popularity of the leads. I didn't have high hopes going in because of this but really ended up enjoying this one. The chemistry between Freeman and Nicholson was great and this one had my wife and I laughing out loud quite a bit. The first half of the film is great and sets up the characters perfectly but I didn't think some of the journeys they took were as involving. But the director brings it back together by the end and tugs on the heart strings. Overall this is a heartwarming film ended up being a really fun ride.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Paranoid Park—Tartan Video (Blu-ray Import)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 11, 2008
Video: 3/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 2/5
Gus Van Sant has been working on some great independent titles and forgoing the usual mainstream route. Paranoid Park reminded me a bit of his earlier film, Elephant, and takes the same route of hiring non-actors and using a low budget. Despite this approach Van Sant still delivers a very strong story with good character development. The film follows a high school skater who's involved in an unfortunate accident that costs a security guard his life. The film focuses on how this affects the boy's life and trying to figure out what to do. The narrative is weaved from different timelines allowing you to get a feel for the character before plunging you right into the events. I'm glad to see notable filmmakers start to go against the mainstream Hollywood feel with their films. Films like this show you don't need big names or high budgets to make an effective film.
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