Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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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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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
I Am Legend—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 24, 2008  | 
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Will Smith's post apocalyptic epic finds its way to HD in stunning form. This was a gamble for the actor. The film rests completely on his shoulders and finds him alone for almost the entire picture. Smith shows he has the chops though and delivers a spectacular performance both as an action star and damaged man. I am a fan of the book so my opinion of the movie is a bit hit or miss. They did cover the theme of the book a bit better than previous adaptations, but I still like the 3rd act of the book better than the film. This home video release also features an alternate cut with a completely different ending. In a way the new ending pays a bit of homage to the original material, but it is still a departure. I actually like both endings but if I had to lean one way I would opt for the new alternate ending.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Bonnie and Clyde
David Vaughn  |  Mar 24, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403bonnieclyde.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Bored with life and looking for adventure, Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) meets the man of her dreams, Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty), right outside her bedroom window. In order to impress the girl, Clyde holds up a local store, marking the start of a vicious crime spree that sweeps the Depression-ravaged South in the 1930s.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Bonnie and Clyde
 |  Mar 24, 2008  | 

Bored with life and looking for adventure, Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) meets the man of her dreams, Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty), right outside her bedroom window. In order to impress the girl, Clyde holds up a local store, marking the start of a vicious crime spree that sweeps the Depression-ravaged South in the 1930s.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Independence Day
David Vaughn  |  Mar 22, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403id4.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Over the span of three days, mysterious invaders from outer space wipe out virtually every population center on Earth. The last vestiges of the human race fight back against impossible odds to save mankind from extinction.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Independence Day
 |  Mar 22, 2008  | 

Over the span of three days, mysterious invaders from outer space wipe out virtually every population center on Earth. The last vestiges of the human race fight back against impossible odds to save mankind from extinction.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Enchanted
David Vaughn  |  Mar 18, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403enchanted.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>In the animated fairytale land of Andalasia lives Giselle (Amy Adams), a charming young lady who dreams of meeting her own Prince Charming. One day, he finally arrives in the form of Prince Edward (James Marsden), and they expect to live happily ever after until Edward's evil mother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), transports Giselle to the worst place she can imagine&mdash;New York City! Transformed into flesh and blood, Giselle must make her way in an unfamiliar world where dreams don't always come true. Or do they?

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Enchanted
 |  Mar 18, 2008  | 

In the animated fairytale land of Andalasia lives Giselle (Amy Adams), a charming young lady who dreams of meeting her own Prince Charming. One day, he finally arrives in the form of Prince Edward (James Marsden), and they expect to live happily ever after until Edward's evil mother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), transports Giselle to the worst place she can imagine&mdash;New York City! Transformed into flesh and blood, Giselle must make her way in an unfamiliar world where dreams don't always come true. Or do they?

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Enchanted—Walt Disney Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 16, 2008  |  First Published: Mar 17, 2008  | 
Video: 5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Ever wonder what it would be like to recreate a Disney Princess animated film into live action? Now if you really thought about it you'd probably realize it would be a bit cheesy. Well that is what Enchanted is. But instead of trying to do it seriously Disney has done a pretty good job of poking fun at itself with this one. I will admit some of the ideas here work pretty well and there is no doubt that this is a Disney production. But I also thought it felt more like a Disney channel type of film rather than a feature production. The story was a bit too whimsical and even the animation seemed a bit short of Disney's signature film style. The story does have a nice heart to it, but overall I thought it was a bit much at times.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Independence Day—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 16, 2008  |  First Published: Mar 17, 2008  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 2/5
I remember when this film was originally launched on DVD. Talk about hype! Independence Day is one of the bigger Fox catalog titles and I'm sure there are a lot of people excited to see this one in HD. While it is still a solid action popcorn film, I think it has lost a bit of its lure over the years since its DVD release. I've seen this film several times now and I know it has lost a bit of luster for me. The comedy doesn't hold up well and I actually find myself surprised that I found it as entertaining as I did during its theatrical run. The action still holds up pretty well and even the special effects aren't half bad compared to today's standards. I'm glad Fox has decided to release this one early and I hope to see more great catalog releases over the next year.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ice Age—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 16, 2008  |  First Published: Mar 17, 2008  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Fox has had this one on the back burner for quite some time now. Ice Age was originally announced for release last year and was held back during the prolonged "time out" that Fox took from the format. Judging from the packaging on this one I'd say it has been waiting around patiently for a new date. This has always been a fun film and it literally saved the animation side of Fox from extinction. Fans of the film will probably be happy to hear that the third film in the franchise was just announced for next summer in 3-D.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
I Am Legend
 |  Mar 15, 2008  | 
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
I Am Legend
David Vaughn  |  Mar 15, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403legend.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>In the year 2012, virologist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last human survivor in New York City. An outbreak of a lethal virus in 2009 wipes out 99% of the human population, leaving most of the remaining 1% as mutants, with the exception of Neville, who is immune to the virus. Along with his loyal canine, Samantha, Neville hunts for other survivors by day, and in his spare time&mdash;which he has lots of&mdash;he works on an antidote for the virus utilizing his own blood as the source.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Rookie
David Vaughn  |  Mar 12, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/403rookie.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>When high-school baseball coach Jim Morris (Dennis Quaid) was looking for a way to inspire his perennially losing team to win, he decided to issue a challenge they couldn't refuse. If they made it to the district playoffs, he would try out for a major-league baseball team. Fortunately for Morris, his team fulfilled their part of the bargain, and he went to the tryout in which his fast ball was clocked at 98 mph! It wasn't long before Jim found himself pitching for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a 35-year-old rookie. The best part of the story is that it actually happened in 1999.

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