LATEST ADDITIONS

Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 10, 2008
Bits of debris from the HD DVD explosion continue to hit the ground. Among the possible consequences are lower Blu-ray pricing and an Xbox drive--though not right away. And at least one retailer appears to be holding out a helping hand for consumers who invested in the wrong format.
Scott Wilkinson  |  Mar 09, 2008  |  First Published: Mar 10, 2008

Here's an interesting set of questions from Thomas Beasley, who's helping a non-profit organization set up some video displays in its lobby. Of course, he needs to keep costs down as much as possible.

Kris Deering  |  Mar 09, 2008
Video: 5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Will Smith is getting the high definition treatment these next few weeks. We are seeing a couple releases from Fox and last year's blockbuster from Warner here soon. Good thing his movies are fun. i, Robot was the first big budget film for director Alex Proyas (Dark City) and an above average summer blockbuster for Smith. The creators did a bang up job with the special effects, but at times I thought they were a bit heavy handed with the environments. I'm still glad this one has finally made its way to Blu-ray as it was one of my favorite demonstration titles on the short lived D-Theater format.
Kris Deering  |  Mar 09, 2008
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Atonement was easily one of my favorite movies of 2007 and I was actually surprised it didn't walk away with the Best Picture statue at the Oscar's this year. While this was an extremely strong year for great films and there was some great nominees I felt this film had the strongest overall arc in terms of production, story, acting and direction. It is rare that a film just nails every aspect as well as this one does, making it a must-see in my opinion.
Kris Deering  |  Mar 09, 2008
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 0/5
When this film was released I noticed a lot of comparisons to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I am not sure why, the films have little to do with each other. Both are VERY colorful and full of imagination, but this film deals more with finding the magic within you. Hoffman does a good job in the lead, but the film is stolen by Natalie Portman. She is reminding me more and more of Audrey Hepburn as she's gotten older and her charm and vulnerability go a long way in this one. It isn't very often that we see a solid live action family film like this.
Kris Deering  |  Mar 09, 2008
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 4/5
Movies based on video games generally don't make for great cinema. There have been a few exceptions, but they are VERY few and far between. I wasn't expecting much going into this one but it didn't turn out too bad. I am not that familiar with the video game series (which may have helped) but I couldn't help but notice the parallels between other games I've played. The scenarios and characters were a bit one dimensional, like most games. The nice thing is, this film has enough plot to keep the action going, which is all one can demand from a popcorn film. The action choreography and stylish cinematography also keep things pretty cool. My only real complaint is the lead actor. While I like Olyphant as an actor, he didn't have the weight for this type of role in my opinion. I guess I've just seen too many films about professional killers that gave the killer a more impending tone.
SV Staff  |  Mar 07, 2008
Sure, the high-def format war was tense and bloody, though it had nothing on Call of Duty 4 or Assassin's Creed. But for gamers who don't already own both a PlayStation 3 and an Xbox 360, the format war may have left them feeling just a little...
SV Staff  |  Mar 07, 2008
Home theater owners need to get with it. That's the bottom line from a survey conducted by ABI Research about U.S. TV viewing habits. It should come as no surprise that home theater-owners are still in the minority in the U.S.: About 40% of ABI's...
SV Staff  |  Mar 07, 2008
At first glance, Belfast, Ireland-based Ripfactory's just-released Ripserver looks like nothing more than a $1,400 1-terabyte hard drive. For those not keeping track of digital storage prices, that's about five times too expensive. But for...
Mark Fleischmann  |  Mar 07, 2008
Today Pioneer announced that it would stop manufacturing plasma panels. The company will continue marketing plasmas, probably using panels made by Panasonic. So maybe this isn't exactly the end of an era for the fabulous Kuro plasma line. Still, the news sent a chill through Kuro fans. Do you own a Pioneer Kuro? If so, what do you think of it? And while we're at it, which do you like better in general--plasma or LCD?

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