Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Sanctum—Universal
Kris Deering  |  Jun 17, 2011  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Master diver Frank McGuire leads a team - including his 17-year-old son - to explore the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. But when a tropical storm cuts off their only escape route, the team must work together to find their way through an uncharted and dangerous underwater labyrinth to make it out alive. With time running out, can they survive, or will they be trapped forever.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Eagle—Universal
Kris Deering  |  Jun 17, 2011  | 
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
The Roman epic adventure "The Eagle" is based on the classic novel "The Eagle of the Ninth". In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca, Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Unknown (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 17, 2011  | 
Arriving in Berlin for a technology conference, Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) must make a mad dash back to the airport in order to find his left-behind briefcase that contains some valuable information and his passport. In his haste, he leaves his wife (January Jones) at the hotel check-in and doesn't tell her where he's headed. After a horrific accident, he awakens in a hospital four days later and is troubled to learn that no one has come looking for him. He tracks down his wife at the conference and discovers that she doesn't recognize him, and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Is he going mad?

With his starring role in Taken, Neeson showed he had the chops to handle the action genre and he delivers another solid performance here. The pacing is fantastic and the story keeps you on the edge of your seat until the tidy and disappointing ending.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
36th Precint—Tartan Palisades
Kris Deering  |  Jun 16, 2011  | 
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2/5
In this action-packed cop thriller a gang of armed robbers have committed seven deadly robberies within a year. When two lieutenants are told that whoever stops the gang will become the next Chief of Police, the competition between them becomes increasingly ruthless, blurring the lines of morality, until there is no difference between the police and the criminals they chase.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Adjustment Bureau—Universal
Kris Deering  |  Jun 16, 2011  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 4/5
On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas - a woman like none he's ever known. But just as he realizes he's falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself - the men of "The Adjustment Bureau" - who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path... or risk everything to defy Fate and be with her.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Blu-ray Review: Hall Pass
Josef Krebs  |  Jun 16, 2011  | 

The starting point of Hall Pass, the latest comedy from writer/directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly, is the same as that of most current TV sitcoms: Gone-to-pot, sex-mad, middle-aged suburban American husbands — who’ve been infantilized by their disappointed, slightly contemptuous, much more attractive wives — yearn for freedom (and more sex) via younger, even hotter women.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Blu-ray Review: Red Riding Hood
Rad Bennett  |  Jun 15, 2011  | 

Fairy tales have been reinterpreted throughout history, often with great success. Little Red Riding Hood has been updated by artists from Tex Avery to Stephen Sondheim; it was even presented as a very funny Fractured Fairy Tale on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. Unfortunately, Catherine Hardwicke’s new version doesn’t belong in such high-class company.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Harry Potter Years 5 and 6 Ultimate Editions (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 15, 2011  | 
At the end of the Goblet of Fire, Harry witnessed the return of Lord Voldemort and barely escaped with his life. The Ministry of Magic doesn’t believe Harry's tale and is doing everything within their power to keep the wizarding world from knowing the truth by orchestrating a smear campaign against the boy who lived and Professor Dumbledore. Furthermore, the ministry is taking an active role in educating of the students at Hogwarts by appointing Dolores Umbridge as the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. When she refuses to teach practical defensive magic, Hermoine convinces Harry to form Dumbledore’s Army with a select group of students in order to give them a fighting chance.

Director David Yates takes over the helm inheriting the legacy of Chris Columbus, Mike Newell, and Alphonso Cuaron. From a pure directorial aspect, I think he did an excellent job, but my biggest complaint with this movie lies in the writer, Michael Goldenberg, who replaced Steven Kloves who penned the first four movies.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Company Men (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 13, 2011  | 
Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) is one of the best salesmen for an East coast-based multinational corporation who's climbing the corporate ladder. When tough times rock the company, he finds himself one of the casualties of the layoffs and must make adjustments to his lifestyle in order to make ends meet.

Writer/Director John Wells wanted to make this film after the dot-com bust earlier this century but couldn't get the project underway. After the recent downturn in the economy he was able to adjust the script and delivers a fantastic drama about how a layoff can ruin your life. The all-star cast includes Chris Cooper and Kevin Costner, although my favorite character in the film is Tommy Lee Jones who plays the executive with a conscience.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Just Go With It (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 10, 2011  | 
After telling his new girlfriend that he's married as a means of avoiding real commitment, a plastic surgeon (Adam Sandler) must recruit a fake family to prove his honesty. His loyal assistant (Jennifer Aniston) agrees to play the soon to be ex-wife in order to score a free trip to Hawaii, but things don't go according to the plan when the two discover there's more to their friendship than meets the eye.

After Friends, many people wondered which of the ensemble cast would be the most successful and Aniston has been the most visible with movie projects. Here she plays the same character we've seen hundreds of times before in the romantic comedy genre as the loyal friend who discovers she's fallen in love and must overcome long odds in order to fulfill her dreams. Yawn!

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Blu-ray Review: Another Year, and more
Sol Louis Siegel  |  Jun 08, 2011  | 

Another Year (Sony)

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Robin of Sherwood (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 08, 2011  | 
Shot entirely on location in England's castles and countryside, this modernization of the classic Robin Hood tale combines elements of history, myth, and magic with plenty of action thrown into the mix. The ensemble cast includes Michael Praed as Robin of Loxley, Ray Winstone as Will Scarlet, and Nickolas Grace as the conniving Sheriff of Nottingham.

Broadcast on PBS and Showtime in the 1980s, this British series certainly shows its age with the outdated music, 1.33:1 framed image, and campy production value. The series has a cult-like following and I don't mean to insult the fans, but I don't get it. My wife and I did our best to get through all 13 episodes, but couldn't make it to the end.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Happy Gilmore (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 06, 2011  | 
When a failed hockey player (Adam Sandler) discovers he can hit a golf ball 400 yards, he must check his pride at the door and play the "sissy" sport in order to save his grandmother's home from the IRS. With the help of a retired golfer (Carl Weathers) and a new love interest (Julie Bowen), he must adapt to life on tour in order to win enough prize money to save the day.

I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of Sandler, but I have to admit his juvenile humor makes me laugh. His star was brightest in the 1990s and this is probably his biggest hit. The pacing is excellent at 92 minutes and there's enough of a story to keep it interesting.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Blu-ray Review: Lolita
Ken Korman  |  Jun 03, 2011  | 

It’s never easy making a film of a great novel. For director Stanley Kubrick, Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita presented not only the fairly typical challenge of translating a story built around characters’ internal thoughts and feelings but also, in 1962, the task of dealing with a taboo subject. 

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
American Graffiti (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jun 03, 2011  | 
A coming-of-age story set against the 1960s backdrop of hot rods, drive-ins, and rock 'n' roll follows two young men as they spend their last night in town before heading off to college. Crusing the streets to the howling sounds of Wolfman Jack, Terry (Charles Martin Smith) is on the prowl for a hot blonde (Suzanne Somers), while Steve (Ron Howard) tries to make up with his girlfriend after suggesting they see other people while he's away at college.

George Lucas is known for his Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, but this film was his first commercial success, and it earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Not only is it wildly entertaining, it's a blast to see future stars Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Somers before they became household names.

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