Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Sort By: Post DateTitle Publish Date
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Safe House
Corey Gunnestad  |  Sep 25, 2012
Picture
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
The old adage “trust no one” is dramatically reinforced in the adrenaline-pumping thriller Safe House. Government-run safe houses are supposedly secure areas where people of interest can be kept in quarantine for purposes of questioning or until safe transport can be arranged. Ryan Reynolds is a “housekeeper” stationed at a CIA safe house in Capetown, South Africa. His daily regimen consists of total isolation and staring at the walls. One night, however, covert operatives arrive with a high-profile renegade agent to be interrogated. Shortly after his arrival, all hell breaks loose and pretty much stays on the loose until the end of the movie. Denzel Washington stars as the rogue agent carrying some extremely volatile and valuable information.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Salt
David Vaughn  |  Dec 21, 2010
CIA operative Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is implicated as a sleeper agent by a Russian defector when he tells the agency she's going to assassinate the current Russian premier on his visit to the United States. Despite her protests, she's held for questioning and orchestrates the first of many implausible—yet wildly entertaining—escapes in order to clear her name. Let the chase begin!

Sony consistently puts out great looking Blu-rays, and this is no exception. The nearly flawless AVC encode has some jaw-dropping scenes, especially in the concrete jungles of Washington D.C. and New York. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is just as impressive, with pinpoint placement of discrete effects, impressive dynamic range, and first-rate frequency response.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
San Andreas
David Vaughn  |  Feb 05, 2016
Picture
Sound
Extras
A massive earthquake hits an unknown fault line in southern Nevada, causing a chain reaction along the San Andreas in California that will have disastrous effects on the nation’s most populous state. Fortunately for L.A. Fire and Rescue helicopter pilot Ray Gaines, he’s good in a crisis, and he’s put in position to single-handedly save his loved ones while the world is literally crumbling around him.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Dec 09, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/sanbud.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>When Puppy Paws (voiced by Zachary Gordon), the fun-loving son of Santa Paws (Tom Bosley) gets tired of the North Pole, he checks out Santa's naughty list and finds Budderballs's (John Flitter) name right on top. Puppy Paws heads south to meet the Buddies and find out how ordinary pups spend their days. But when the world begins to forget the true meaning of the holidays and the magic of the season begins to literally melt away, it's up to Puppy Paws and his newfound Buddies to save the day.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Saturday Night Fever Director's Cut
Mike Mettler  |  Sep 15, 2017
Picture
Sound
Extras
Much as 1955’s Rebel Without a Cause and 1969’s Easy Rider defined the youth-culture zeitgeist of their respective decades, 1977’s Saturday Night Fever deftly captured the me-decade essence of the 1970s, instantly catapulting John Travolta to the A-list in the process.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Savages
Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 03, 2013
Picture
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
Three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone has made some interesting choices in his career, from instant classics (such as 1987’s Wall Street) to real head-scratchers (2010’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps). Leaning more into the latter camp is Savages, a beautifully photographed romantic crime drama about equally beautiful people who just so happen to be drug dealers by trade.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Saving Private Ryan
David Vaughn  |  May 10, 2010
Over the years, Hollywood has portrayed war in different ways. John Wayne appealed to our patriotism, and Oliver Stone exposed its seedier aspects, but Steven Spielberg recreated it with every horrific detail intact. The Oscar-winning director places you in the middle of the action as our young men storm Omaha beach.

This is the fourth movie to receive Paramount's Sapphire Series treatment, and the results are spectacular. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is essentially a 169-minute demo, and the cinematography has never looked better.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Sawdust and Tinsel
Josef Krebs  |  Feb 15, 2019
Picture
Sound
Extras
Albert (Åke Grönberg), the aging owner and ringmaster of an impoverished travelling circus, takes the troupe to his home town in order to visit his estranged wife and sons with the hope of returning to the safe, bourgeois family nest. In reaction, his jealous young lover (the gorgeous Harriet Andersson), a horseback rider, allows a charismatic actor to seduce her.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Say Anything (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 08, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/sayanything.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Lloyd (John Cusack) is the eternal optimist and tries to capture the heart of Diane (Ione Skye), valedictorian of his high school class. When she accepts his invitation to attend an end-of-the-year party, his fellow students are surprised to see the two together, and it's the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Unfortunately for Lloyd, the summer romance of his dreams has its share of emotional pitfalls.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Scanning High-Def
Josef Krebs  |  Dec 05, 2006

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Scanning High-Def
 |  Dec 07, 2006

Batman Begins (Warner; Movie ••••, HD DVD Picture •••½, Sound ••••, Original Extras •••, New Extras •½). Batman Begins is the first disc I've heard with a Dolby TrueHD lossless soundtrack, and it does approach what you hear in a theater.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Scanning High-Def
Josef Krebs  |  Jan 03, 2007

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Scanning High-Def
Josef Krebs  |  Jan 05, 2007

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Scanning High-Def: 300 on Blu-ray, HD DVD
Josef Krebs  |  Oct 03, 2007

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Scanning High-Def: Deja Vu Blu-ray
Josef Krebs  |  Jul 02, 2007

Continue Reading »

Pages

X