Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Amelia—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Feb 25, 2010  | 
Movie: 2.5
Picture/Sound: 3.5/4
Extras: 3.5
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
American Beauty—Dreamworks (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Oct 06, 2010  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham, a man in his mid-40s going through an intense midlife crisis; he's grown cynical and is convinced that he has no reason to go on. Lester's relationship with his wife Carolyn is not a warm one; while on the surface Carolyn strives to present the image that she's in full control of her life, inside she feels empty and desperate. Their teenage daughter Jane is constantly depressed, lacking in self-esteem, and convinced that she's unattractive. Her problems aren't helped by her best friend Angela, an aspiring model who is quite beautiful and believes that that alone makes her a worthwhile person. Jane isn't the only one who has noticed that Angela is attractive: Lester has fallen into uncontrollable lust for her, and she becomes part of his drastic plan to change his body and change his life. Meanwhile, next door, Colonel Fitts has spent a lifetime in the Marine Corps and can understand and tolerate no other way of life, which makes life difficult for his son Ricky, an aspiring filmmaker and part-time drug dealer who is obsessed with beauty, wherever and whatever it may be.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
American Gangster—Universal (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Sep 28, 2008  | 
Video: 3.75/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 4.5/5
Armed with ruthless, street-wise tactics and a strict sense of honor, crime boss Frank Lucas rules Harlem's chaotic drug underworld. When outcast cop Richie Roberts sets out to bring down Lucas's multi-million dollar empire, it plunges both men into a legendary confrontation.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
American Graffiti—Universal
Kris Deering  |  May 17, 2011  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
From director George Lucas and producer Francis Ford Coppola, "American Graffiti" is a classic coming-of-age story set against the 1960s backdrop of hot rods, drive-ins and rock n' roll. Starring Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips and Suzanne Somers in their breakout roles, this nostalgic look back follows a group of teenagers as they cruise the streets on their last summer night before college.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
American History X—New Line Cinema (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 03, 2009  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2/5
Derek Vinyard is dangerous, a coiled fury of hate who leads a neo-Nazi gang. But time and events start to change him. He reassesses his ways while doing time for manslaughter and emerges from prison eager to keep his younger brother from falling victim to the thug cycle of violence and payback. It may be too late. Weaving in and out of events past and present in Derek's life, "American History X" is revealing in its look at white-supremacist gangs and impassioned in its message that hatred and bigotry can be unlearned.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
American Splendor
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 25, 2004  | 

<I>Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis. Directed by Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman. Aspect ratio: 1.77:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Surround 2.0 (English). 101 minutes. 2003. HBO Video 92031. R. $27.95.</I>

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
An Education—Sony Pictures Classics (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Mar 17, 2010  | 
Movie: 3.5
Picture/Sound: 4.5/4
Extras: 3.5
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Angels and Demons—Columbia Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Dec 01, 2009  | 
Movie: 3
Picture/Sound: 4/4.5
Extras: 4.5
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Animation Express—Image Entertainment (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 31, 2010  | 
Movie: 3.5
Picture/Sound: 4/3
Extras: 3
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Anton Chekov’s The Duel—Music Box Films
Kris Deering  |  May 24, 2011  | 
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 0/5
Laevsky clings to ephemeral pleasures such as drinking, gambling, and romancing his alluring mistress, Nadya, in the Russian provinces -- putting all of the said pursuits far ahead of disciplined action -- but he soon grows listless and disenchanted with Nadya, falls into financial ruin, and ultimately must fight Von Koren in a vicious duel thanks to Nadya's sexual liaisons with the man.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Antwone Fisher—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jan 31, 2009  | 
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.25/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Inspired by the true life experiences of its title character, "Antwone Fisher" tells the compelling story of a troubled sailor who is ordered to see a naval psychiatrist about his volatile temper. Little does he know that his first step into the doctor's office will lead him on a remarkable emotional journey to confront his painful past and connect with the family he never knew.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Any Given Sunday—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jan 31, 2009  | 
Video: 3.75/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.75/5
At the 50-year line of this gridiron cosmos is Al Pacino as Tony D'Amato, the embattled Sharks coach facing a full-on blitz of team strife plus a new, marketing-savvy sharks owner who's sure Tony is way too old school. An injured quarterback, a flashy, bull-headed backup quarterback, a slithery team doctor and a running back with an incentive-laden contract also provide some of the stories that zigzag like diagrams in a playbook.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Apollo 13 HD DVD
 |  May 09, 2006  | 

I hadn't watched Ron Howard's <I>Apollo 13</I> in years- probably since the first DTS DVD release in the late 90s. It's extraordinary that this movie remains so riveting- nerve wracking even- so long after seeing it for the first time, and having gone into that first viewing knowing how the story ends! The filmmaking, the performances, the effects, the attention to every technical detail, everything is top notch and about as good as it gets from big-time Hollywood filmmaking. A great, compelling movie, and capsule in time of one of America's most riveting real-life dramas. This is what used to be "reality TV" back in the day!

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Appaloosa—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jan 11, 2009  | 
Video: 3.75/5
Audio: 4.25/5
Extras: 3.5/5
In Marshal Virgil Cole and deputy Everett Hitch's line of work, you shoot quick, you shoot clean, and you reload straightaway. No remorse. No looking back. No feelings. Feelings get you killed. Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen stand together as longtime friends and for-hire peacekeepers Cole and Hitch in this character-driven, bullet-hard Western based on Robert B. Parkers novel. As the woman who arrives in town with only a dollar and a keen sense of survival, Renee Zellweger adds feelings - those things that get you killed - to a quest to bring murderer Randall Bragg to justice.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Appleseed Ex Machina—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Feb 27, 2008  | 
Video: 3/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2.5/5
In 2004 Appleseed was released as a groundbreaking CG animation feature. The CG animation style was cutting edge and the action of the film was a lot of fun. While I enjoyed that film I thought the overall story was a bit lacking. This follow up is a step up in almost every department. The new story is a lot better in my opinion, but the film does remind me of a video game at times. The scope is larger, but the way the action progresses and some of the dialogue make me feel like I'm watching cut scenes from a game more than a full length feature every once in awhile. The animation has been supercharged since the first release. The characters and animation in general is far more dimensional and the attention to detail is incredible. Fans of anime in general will definitely want to check this one out.
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