Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
North By Northwest (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 02, 2009  |  First Published: Nov 03, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/nbynw.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) is in big trouble with some mysterious men when a case of mistaken identity leads to his kidnapping, arrest, and a murder charge for a crime he didn't commit. With the help of a beautiful blonde (Eva Marie Saint) and a little luck, he'll be able to return to his cushy job as a Madison Avenue advertising executive.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season One (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 02, 2009  |  First Published: Nov 03, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/clone1.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>George Lucas did his best to alienate me and other fans from the <i>Star Wars</i> universe with the critically panned feature film <i>The Clone Wars</i>, which felt more like an overlong pilot—as it turned out to be—than a worthy contender for our cinematic dollar. Fortunately for us <i>Star Wars</i> fans, the weekly TV series is much better as we follow Anakin Skywalker (voiced by Matt Lanter), his new padawan Ashoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), and his former master Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor) on their trials and tribulations during the Clone Wars. With the help of the countless clone troopers (Dee Bradley Baker) and the Jedi council, they fight against the evil separatists led by Count Dooku (Corey Burton) and General Grievous (Matthew Wood).

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 02, 2009  |  First Published: Nov 03, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/ia3.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Manfred (voiced by Ray Romano) is a nervous wreck eagerly awaiting the birth of his first child, but a new distraction comes along when Sid (John Leguizamo) disappears into a lost world of ferocious dinosaurs, and Manfred and his pack must do whatever they can to save their friend. Meanwhile, Scrat (Chris Wedge) goes nuts over the beautiful Scratte (Karen Disher), but is the attractive saber-toothed squirrel trying to win his heart or steal his precious acorn?

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Up (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Oct 30, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/up.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner) fulfills his lifelong dream of adventure and exploration when he ties thousands of helium balloons to his house and escapes the construction hell surrounding his Oakland, California, home for the beautiful surroundings of South America. But shortly after takeoff, there's a disturbing knock at the front door&#151;a local Wilderness Explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai) looking to earn his "assisting the elderly" badge has stowed away for the trip.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Contact (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Oct 25, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/contact.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Astronomer Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) has fixed her gaze on the sky her whole life. When her SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) project is canceled by the US Government, she goes in search of private funding and receives it from a secretive multimillionaire, S.A. Hadden (John Hurt). One night, she and her scientific team receive a signal from space that includes the blueprints of a mysterious machine. What does it do?

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Contact—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Oct 22, 2009  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
At the Forest Ridge Mall, head of security Ronnie Barnhardt patrols his jurisdiction with an iron fist. The master of his domain, he combats skateboarders, shoplifters and the occasional unruly customer while dreaming of the day when he can swap his flashlight for a badge and a gun. Ronnie's delusions of grandeur are put to the test when the mall is struck by a flasher. Driven by his personal duty to protect and serve the mall and its patrons, Ronnie seizes the opportunity to showcase his underappreciated law enforcement talents on a grand scale, hoping his solution of this crime will earn him a coveted spot at the police academy and the heart of his elusive dream girl Brandi, the hot makeup counter clerk who won't give him the time of day. But his single-minded pursuit of glory launches a turf war with the equally competitive Detective Harrison of the Conway Police, and Ronnie is confronted with the challenge of not only catching the flasher, but getting him before the real cops do.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Blood The Last Vampire—Sony (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Oct 22, 2009  | 
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.25/5
Extras: 2/5
Demons have infested the Earth. And only one warrior stands between the dark and the light: Saya, a half-human, half-vampire samurai who preys on those who feast on human blood. Joining forces with the shadowy society known as the Council, Saya is dispatched to an American military base, where an intense series of swordfights leads her to the deadliest vampire of all. And now after 400 years, Saya's greatest hunt is about to begin.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Natural Born Killers: The Director’s Cut—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Oct 22, 2009  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3.75/5
They didn't win a Nobel Prize, throw a record fastball or travel another acceptable path to fame. What fugitive lovers Mickey and Mallory did was kill people. Lots of people. The media took care of the rest.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Oct 20, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/tinklost.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>It's autumn, and the fairies are on the mainland changing the colors of the leaves, tending to pumpkin patches, and helping geese fly south for the winter. The rare blue moon will soon rise to pass its light through the magical Fall Scepter so Pixie Hollow's supply of pixie dust will be restored. But when Tinker Bell (voiced by Mae Whitman) accidentally puts the community in jeopardy, she must travel across the sea in order to set things right.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Battlestar Galactica - The Plan (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Oct 20, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/bsgplan.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Throughout the terrific four-season run of <I>Battlestar Galactica</I> on the Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy), we witnessed humanity's fight for survival through the eyes of the humans. In <i>The Plan</i>, viewers revisit events of the first two seasons from the perspective of the skinjobs (Cylons made to look like humans) and why they're hell-bent on genocide.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Waterworld (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Oct 20, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/waterworld.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>When the polar ice caps melt, the Earth is covered in water, and the human race struggles to survive by meandering around the globe in makeshift boats, jet skis, and floating cities. Our hero, Mariner (Kevin Costner), is a loner mutant with webbed feet and gills behind his ears so he can breathe underwater&#151;how convenient considering the state of the planet. Anyway, Mariner gets caught up in a war with The Smokers when he rescues a little girl (Tina Majorino) who carries the secret of the only dry land left on Earth.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Girlfriend Experience—Magnolia (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Oct 13, 2009  | 
Video: 4.25/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Set in the weeks leading up to the 2008 presidential election, "The Girlfriend Experience" is five days in the life of Chelsea, an ultra high-end Manhattan call girl who offers more than sex to her clients, but companionship and conversation - "the girlfriend experience." Chelsea thinks she has her life totally under control - she feels her future is secure because she runs her own business her own way, makes $2000 an hour, and has a devoted boyfriend who accepts her lifestyle. But when you're in the business of meeting people, you never know who you're going to meet...
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs—Walt Disney Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Oct 13, 2009  | 
Video: 4.25/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 5/5
Join the beautiful princess Snow White as she escapes her jealous stepmother, the queen, and befriends a lovable group of dwarfs. But when she falls under the queen's wicked spell, only true love's kiss can save her.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
QDEO HD Video Evaluation—Marvell (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Oct 13, 2009  | 
Video: 4.75/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
The HD test disk has been designed to provide a mechanism for comprehensive testing of the main elements of video processing, namely noise reduction, format conversion, and image enhancement. The noise reduction test patterns check the ability of the system under test to reduce analog and digital noise. The format conversion test patterns provide a comprehensive test of the capabilities of the de-interlacing done by the system. The enhancement patterns check for the presence and performance of a variety of leading-edge types of enhancements including detail enhancement, adaptive contrast enhancement, intelligent color remapping, and bit-resolution-expansion. The disk also includes a set of test patterns for calibration of the video settings of the system, as well as a demonstration section and an HD video montage to show the visual impact of high quality video processing.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Oct 13, 2009  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/grinch.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>The Grinch (Jim Carrey) doesn't have the Christmas spirit, but why? Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) is determined to find out and befriends the Whoville outcast in order to spread her holiday cheer. But as the title suggests, the Grinch has plans of his own.

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