LATEST ADDITIONS

Last week, just days before Black Friday, I received a letter from a reader lamenting the high prices of Blu-ray Discs. He quoted prices from a retailer of $35 for the Russell Crowe version of Robin Hood, and $32 for The Hangover. Curious fellow I am I hit Amazon and found that Robin Hood, a relatively new release, is $23 for a set including the movie on Blu-ray, DVD, and a mobile friendly Digital Copy. The Hangover was $15 for the standard Blu-ray and $24 for the Extreme Edition, which includes an extra disc and a book and other accoutrements. When I noted this to the reader, along with the fact that my, local grocery store is now carrying Blu-ray catalog titles for $9.99 he shot back some more outrage that the Avatar Extended Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, which was released on 11/16, was $22-$25, even on Amazon. This is three-disc set, which I just reviewed for our February print issue, includes three full cuts of the movie, and two full Blu-ray Discs full of hours of really incredible extras, including a terrific full length documentary. This strikes me as an extraordinarily good value, but I thought I’d ask you. Are Blu-ray software prices still to high? Do you think price is why some people are looking to move to Netflix, Apple TV and other streaming services or is that merely convenience driven? Or have the movie studios simply devalued their content after years of bargain bin pricing on DVDs?

Dave (Jay Baruchel) is not your average NYU student; he's the heir to Merlin's powerful magic. Recruited by the sorcerer Balthazar Blake (Nicholas Cage) to help him battle the forces of darkness in modern-day Manhattan, he's forced into a crash course in the art and science of magic. Can he fulfill his destiny?

Loosely based on Fantasia's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) reunite to deliver an over-the-top thrill ride. Cage and Baruchel are awesome as master and apprentice who persevere through an overcomplicated script. The action scenes are extremely well shot and the CGI is quite good, especially when Dave coerces the mop into cleaning duty.

Time Warner Cable is trying out some new moves, adding to its selection of packages and offering a new service that lets customers watch programs as much as three days old without need for a conventional DVR.

Video: 5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 4.5/5
The journey continues with all three movie versions, including the exclusive Extended Cut not shown in theaters, plus an in-depth, feature-length look at the film's groundbreaking production, additional deleted scenes and more. The greatest adventure of all time just got bigger... and better! "Avatar" takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. We enter the alien world through the eyes of Jake Sully, a former Marine confined to a wheelchair. He is recruited to travel light years to the human outpost of Pandora, where corporations are mining a rare mineral that is the key to solving the Earth's energy crisis. Because the atmosphere of Pandora is toxic, they have created the Avatar Program, in which human "drivers" have their consciousness linked to an avatar, a remotely controlled biological body that can survive in the lethal air. Reborn in his avatar form, Jake can walk again. He is given a mission to infiltrate the Na'vi, who have become a major obstacle to mining the precious ore. Jake is taken in by a beautiful Na'vi female, Neytiri, after she saves his life. As Jake's relationship with his reluctant teacher deepens, he learns to respect the Na'vi way and finally takes a place among them. Soon he will face the ultimate test as he leads the Na'vi in an epic battle that will decide nothing less than the fate of an entire world.