Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Sort By: Post DateTitle Publish Date
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2011 Gift Guide to Box Sets
Ken Richardson  |  Nov 23, 2011

2011 Gift Guide to Blu-ray Box Sets

Scarface or Superman? Jurassic Park or Planet Earth? Star Wars or Looney Tunes? Tom Cruise or Sophia Loren? (Hmmm.) The Lord of the Rings or Pirates of the Caribbean? Ben-Hur, Citizen Kane, Harry Potter, or Willy Wonka?! Check your list twice, or even thrice: There’s plenty to go around. (Note: Prices listed for these and all other boxes are suggested retail. Look for discounts!)

 

2011 Gift Guide to DVD Box Sets

Yes, only on DVD: 62 discs of Smallville and 104 discs of Law & Order. Plus, modest but no less enjoyable affairs for the likes of Laurel & Hardy, Tracy & Hepburn, and Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends. And more.

 

 

 

2011 Gift Guide to CD Box Sets: Expanded Pop/Rock Albums

These days, the 1970s rule — judging from the number of that decade’s classic albums getting super-duper reissues, including Layla, Aqualung, What’s Going On, Europe ’72, Quadrophenia, Some Girls, and both The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. But there are many more opportunities for giving, from Nirvana to Pearl Jam, and from Ozzy Osbourne to George Michael to Alicia Keys. Meanwhile, in keeping with the retro outlook, some titles include a version of the album on vinyl LP.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2014 Gift Guide: 11 No-So-Ordinary Blu-ray Box Sets
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 01, 2014
I don’t always watch my favorite movies and television series. But when I do, I prefer to watch them on Blu-ray. Thankfully, the studios have provided home theater enthusiasts—people who shop for them—with a bounty of exciting new sets, likely to elicit that elusive “Ooo…” as the ribbons and bows tumble to the floor. From film canons to entire classic TV series to the sort of inspired little tchotchkes that can be proudly displayed, these selections go beyond the ordinary, as gifts that will be enjoyed well beyond the holidays.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2015 Blu-ray Gift Guide
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 07, 2015
As 2015 draws to a close and gift-giving holidays loom, you can take comfort in knowing that Blu-ray is still the king of physical media, and plenty of studios continue to go above and beyond to release extra-special editions of movies, music, and beloved TV series sure to make a lasting impression. Here are 10 for your consideration.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2016 Blu-ray (plus 4K!) Holiday Gift Guide
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 09, 2016
It’s time once again to separate the digital wheat from the chaff to find movies, TV shows, and music that make great gifts. Venerable Blu-ray is joined by upstart 4K Ultra HD this year, and even a bit of vinyl for good measure. Whichever holiday you call your own, make it a little brighter with one or more of these.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2018 Blu-Ray Gift Guide: 10 Standout Boxes
Chris Chiarella  |  Nov 14, 2018
As a year packed with wonderful new high-definition and 4K discs comes to a close, we’ve selected ten standout box sets that are certain to bring a smile to the home theater buff in your life. Each box is special in its own way: some are hefty with gravitas, others have actual heft. All are sure to deliver ample audio/video pleasure plus a bounty of bonus features to enjoy through the new year and beyond.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2019 Blu-ray Gift Guide: 10 Box Sets to Give...& Get
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 03, 2019
The time has come to not only celebrate the holidays, but also our favorite movies and TV shows, in high- or ultra high-definition, with Atmos sound (where available), and with extras galore. Once again, we invite you to sit back and peruse our picks of the year's most exciting boxed sets to give and to receive.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2020 Blu-ray Gift Guide: Blu Cheer
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 09, 2020
Each autumn, I fret that we won't be able to find ten worthy entries for this gotta-have-'em list, and every year am genuinely surprised at the bounty that has somehow remained heretofore unreleased. I guess there will always be anniversaries and restorations and quadrilogies and the like, and as long as the studios keep investing the time and care to craft these disc-filled boxes we enjoy so much, we'll continue recommending the cream of the crop to help stoke seasonal merriment.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2021 Blu-Ray Holiday Gift Guide
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 07, 2021
It's been a strange year for the entertainment industry, with controversial showdowns involving streaming versus the in-theater experience calling the future of both into question. We continued to hear news of physical media's demise as well, yet here we are again looking at ten gift-worthy new regular and Ultra HD Blu-ray options.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2023 Blu-ray Holiday Gift Guide
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 06, 2023
In my experience, we home entertainment enthusiasts and physical media collectors enjoy sharing, bringing the gift of movies and music to like-minded loved ones and maybe even (if we’ve been nicer than naughty) building out our own personal libraries. To help y’all get a handle on some of the best offerings this year, we’ve taken the liberty of grouping our recommendations into a few tempting categories.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
2024 End-of-Year 4K Blu-ray Blowout
Chris Chiarella  |  Dec 29, 2024
For reasons known only to them, the studios have been saving some of their absolute best and most interesting 4K releases for the waning days of 2024, among them the most hotly debated movies of the past 12 months, as well as cult favorites and a few outright classics. In between the egg nog and the champagne, we pulled together this list of must-see-in-Ultra-HDs for your consideration as we toss another calendar into the recycling bin.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
21
David Vaughn  |  Jul 25, 2008

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/21.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), a senior at MIT, aspires to attend Harvard Medical School but lacks the means to pay the tuition due to his working-class background. He pins his hopes on winning a rare full-ride scholarship but lacks a "moving" story to separate him from the other applicants. Ben's lucky break comes when Professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) discovers his uncanny ability to solve complex math equations in his head and recruits him to join his card-counting team of students with the express intent of winning as much money as possible in Vegas. While card counting isn't illegal, the casinos have their own methods of discouraging the behavior. For Ben, this experience will give him one hell of a story to tell Harvard.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
21
Marc Horowitz  |  Oct 02, 2008
Sony
Movie ••• Picture •••½Sound •••½Extras •••½
It may seem far-fetched, but this
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
21 Jump Street
Chris Chiarella  |  Oct 10, 2012
Picture
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
Adaptations of old TV shows are a mixed bag, especially when filmmakers take the risky step of amping up the comedy factor of the original. The new gold standard of this bawdy-yet-reverent approach is 21 Jump Street, with much of the credit belonging to star/executive producer/co-writer Jonah Hill. He plays a brainy high school loser who, years later, winds up enrolling in the police academy at the same time as his brawny erstwhile tormentor (Channing Tatum).
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
27 Dresses (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Apr 27, 2008

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/27dresses.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Always a bridesmaid and never the bride, Jane (Katherine Heigle) has filled this role 27 times and has a closetful of dresses to prove it. When her younger sister Tess (Malin Ackerman) comes to town and catches the eye of her boss George (Edward Burnes)&mdash;with whom Jane is secretly in love&mdash;she is inspired to put herself first for a change.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
300 - The Complete Experience (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jul 18, 2009  |  First Published: Jul 19, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/300.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, <i>300</i> recreates the Battle of Thermopylae in 280 BC, when Persia's King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) had his sights set on Greece as the next country to conquer. Xerxes brought his huge army to Thermopylae where he met King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his 300 Spartans, which held the much larger force at bay for three days.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X