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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
In The Valley Of Elah—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 30, 2008
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2/5
I don't remember even seeing this one in theaters but like so many other films that deal with the current war in Iraq, it seemed to fade into obscurity. Tommy Lee Jones got an Oscar nod for this one and he does do a great job portraying a father on the hunt for his son who went AWOL after returning from the war. When they find his boy brutally murdered in a field he tries desperately to find out what happened. With the help of a local detective he finds more than he bargained for. The film draws some serious questions about how war affects the soldiers returning home and how the average public could probably never comprehend what our soldiers are being asked to do daily. I really enjoyed the film despite the darker tones and sad story, but I can see some people being turned off to something that hits this close to home.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Unbreakable—Touchstone Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 30, 2008
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
M. Night Shyamalan set the bar pretty high with the monumental success of The Sixth Sense. This follow-up didn't make quite the box office splash that one did, but it has created a following since its release on DVD. This is one of the best "comic" movies out there in my opinion and a great start to a series that we may never see finished.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Hidalgo—Touchstone Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 30, 2008
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Hidalgo is one of those human stories that really grabbed me. The true tale of an American cowboy haunted by his past who finds himself across the world in a race only the most insane would attempt. But the story does not end there. Along the way the greedy attempt to eliminate potential winners and small battles wager. Mortensen does a great job as Frank Hopkins, and this is a huge departure from his now epic portrayal of Aragon in The Lord of the Rings films. While he still has the courage and honor of Aragon, this is a more down to Earth role. The production and cinematography of this film are also outstanding making this a film with few faults.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Gattaca—Columbia Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 30, 2008
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2.5/5
It has been interesting to see all the doomsday films that have been released about biological identity. It has become almost as popular as our fear of computers taking over in some respects. Hopeful this won't be the case as we progress in biological science. Gattaca takes a grim look at the future and how genetics could have a toll on our personal freedoms. Thankfully it doesn't get too preachy and the strong performances go a long way in making the film a satisfying thriller.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics—DVD International (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 30, 2008
Video: 5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: N/A
Last year video guru Joe Kane released the first High Definition test disc to the market with Digital Video Essentials. We'd seen this release before on the short lived D-Theater format but this time around the disc offered a more intuitive menu structure and offered two resolutions for test material. Problem was; it was limited to HD DVD only. This new version is available in both HD DVD and Blu-ray and is slightly scaled down. Some of the more advanced test patterns that are good for display evaluation are missing but most of the patterns for display setup are all there. The disc has both 1080p and 720p content making it very adaptable for the two most popular screen resolutions on the market today. This new disc also features more in-depth instructions on the materials and their benefit on display playback. The menu is still a bit cumbersome at times and I wish they would have allowed for storage of some favorites similar to what we see with some HD DVD and Blu-ray releases that have a bookmark function. All of the familiar demonstration material is here from the previous editions as well.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Coyote Ugly—Touchstone Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 30, 2008
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Why is it that everything Jerry Bruckheimer touches seems to turn to gold? Seriously, look at his track record! Almost every film he's done has either gone on to create a new trend in entertainment or in this case a complete line of themed bars across the country. Coyote Ugly isn't anything more than a simple "local girl makes good" story that we see recycled over and over again, yet it launched a chain of bars with the same name across the country. The film has energy to spare and you can help but have a good time with it, but I never would have dreamt it would have the popularity and impact it did. Kudos to Jerry on yet another success. This Blu-ray features two cuts of the film, with a slightly "spicier" cut. Don't expect huge changes though as I barely noticed any difference.
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Audio Video News
Blu-ray Shopping Spree in 2008
SV Staff  |  Mar 28, 2008
Now that bean counters have a sense for consumer Blu-ray appetite when HD-DVD is out of the picture, it looks like 15 million of the high-def discs will sell in 2008, according to HMR Research. From mid-2006 (Blu-ray's launch) until the end of...
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Audio Video News
Panasonic's New Wave of Plasma
SV Staff  |  Mar 28, 2008
At a seminar in Japan this week, Matsushita plasma group manager Susumu Tsujihara didn't say a word about subsidiary Panasonic's plans to manufacture plasma panels for Pioneer's high-end Kuro line. But everything he did say sounded like very good...
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Audio Video News
The Sounds of Plasma
SV Staff  |  Mar 28, 2008
This plasma stuff might burn you up with jealousy, but don't try this at home, electrical engineers. At least wait until you get back to the lab. Everybody else should simply enjoy the YouTube videos in safety. Gizmodo posted two videos of one...
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Audio Video News
What Women Watch
SV Staff  |  Mar 28, 2008
In the decades-old gender battle for the remote control, it appears women have begun to wrangle the device at a higher rate then men, especially when there's a digital video recorder involved. According to a new study from Solutions Research...
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