LATEST ADDITIONS

We've been keeping you up to date on the progress of 7.1 in theatrical sound, and Brent Butterworth checked in last month with Dolby Labs Director of Blu-ray Ecosystems Craig Eggers, who gave us an update on some developments in 7.1 for the home - when we talked to Craig, he let us know that while there were some 225 titles available on Blu-ray in 7.1 mixes, most of those simply duplicated the theatrical mixes.

That's starting to change.

John Phillips

I wasn't a big fan of the original Transformers movie and skipped the critically panned sequel, but had heard good things about this one and was willing to give it a chance. The premise actually had some promise, but everything I disliked about the first movie is repeated here—shallow plot, poor acting, senseless characters, and a never-ending third act that repeats many of the action scenes witnessed in the first two acts. Granted, Michael Bay doesn't make these films to win Academy Awards for Best Picture, but he'll certainly never win a Best Editor award because the bloated run time clocks in at 154 fatiguing minutes.

Forty years have hardly put a dent in Straw Dogs, the controversial 1971 film by director Sam Peckinpah (which spawned the faithful remake now showing in theaters). With its graphic depiction of violence, the movie remains as disturbing as ever.