Blu-ray Movie Reviews

As the right hand man to mob boss Joe Rooney (Paul Newman), Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) struggles with balancing his family life and the guilt he carries with his career choice. Unbeknownst to Sullivan, his son Tyler Hoechlin) stows away on a business trip and witnesses a shootout that eventually leads to the death of his sibling and mother. Now father and son must go on the run and in the process form a unique bond.

Director Sam Mendes adaptation of Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Raynar's graphic novel features beautiful cinematography but the story lacks heart. It's hard to root for Hanks' flawed character given his past and the scenes he shares with his onscreen son aren't very compelling.

As a war rages between men and kings and kings and god, the battle amongst the gods is the one that could ultimately destroy the world. Hope rests with Perseus (Sam Worthington), son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), who was raised as a man and sets off on a hazardous journey deep into forbidden worlds to avenge the death of his family and defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus and unleash hell on earth.

Movie: 3.5/5 Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2.5/5

Movies: 2.5/5 Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2/5

Jake (Randy Wayne) and Roger (Robert Bailey Jr.) were best friends up until the ninth grade and the two drifted apart. Jake became the star of the basketball team and landed the hottest girl in school and Roger didn't fit in with his new group of friends. Three years later Jake's world crashes down around him when Roger enters the school with a handgun and takes his own life. Wracked with guilt, Jake begins to question his life choices and wonders if there was anything he could have done to save his childhood friend.

Calling a film "religious" will ultimately alienate a large portion of the population, but as long as the script isn't too preachy, I can usually enjoy them. That's certainly the case here where the message being spoken—care about thy neighbor—is commendable, especially to the targeted teen audience. The script certainly has a Christian slant to it, which isn't too distracting, but the story is very melodramatic and runs about 20 longer than it should.

Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) is a charming criminal mastermind who is finally caught by his nemesis, FBI Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) and in lieu of being sent back to prison, the two form a unique partnership. Caffrey lends his criminal expertise to the FBI in exchange for limited freedom to help the Feds capture other elusive criminals.

I don't have much time to watch TV and I find watching the shows on Blu-ray is much more convenient to my schedule. The buddy-cop angle is far from new and I was a bit apprehensive when I popped the first disc in my player, but surprisingly I've enjoyed every one of the 14 season one episodes. The tandem of Bomer and DeKay has great chemistry and the supporting cast that includes Tiffany Thiessen and Willie Garson is very strong.

Movies: 4/5 Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 4/5