Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Sort By: Post DateTitle Publish Date
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Taken
David Vaughn  |  May 25, 2009  |  0 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/taken.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>One of the best action movies I've seen in a long time offers a great picture and kick-ass audio. The AVC encode reveals phenomenal shadow detail and offers a razor-sharp image. The audio is just as impressive with an enveloping surround stage, first-rate frequency response, and pervasive ambience.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Taken (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  May 20, 2009  |  0 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/taken.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is an ex-CIA agent trying to reestablish a relationship with his 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). Against his better judgment, he bows to pressure from his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) and signs a release enabling her to spend the summer in France. She's not even in country for 24 hours when she's kidnapped and sold into a slavery/prostitution ring. Utilizing his special skills, he tracks down her kidnappers and metes out justice in order to rescue his daughter.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ted
Corey Gunnestad  |  May 14, 2013  |  0 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
One magical night, a lonely young boy named John makes a special wish that his teddy bear will come to life and be his best friend. And on that special night, the fates decide to grant him his wish. The next morning, John introduces Teddy to his absolutely freaked-out parents. Flash-forward 25 years, and John has grown up into a strapping young man who looks astonishingly like Mark Wahlberg. Best friend, Teddy, now just called plain Ted, has grown up, too, but only in maturity…or lack thereof. John and Ted now spend their afternoons getting high in front of the tube and talking trash about women.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Ted 2
Corey Gunnestad  |  Apr 08, 2016  |  1 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
Ted, the foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear, has married his longtime human girlfriend, Tami-Lynn, and a beautiful wedding it was. But as with most marriages between stuffed animals and human beings, the honeymoon ends all too soon, and after only a year, the newlyweds are already fighting. Naturally, the best remedy to soothe a decaying marriage and revitalize the spark is to bring a baby into the equation. But since Ted is lacking in the genitalia department, their choices are reduced to either adoption or artificial insemination.
Continue Reading »
3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Corey Gunnestad  |  Mar 24, 2015  |  2 comments
Picture
3D-ness
Sound
Extras
Way back in the mid to late 1980s, I was an avid comic book collector, and one of my favorite discoveries around that time was a brand-new and independently produced comic called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It lacked the polish and grandeur of the Marvel and DC titles, but it was raw, edgy, and totally original. There was no shortage of blood on the katana, if you get my drift. Not long after that, however, mainstream pop culture bastardized it into a puke-inducing kiddie cartoon and toy franchise. The once-hardcore vigilante turtles suddenly became pizza-eating wisecrackers who over-frequently used words like dude and cowabunga. It also spawned three diaper-filling live-action films, and I abandoned all hope after that.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Film Collection (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Aug 15, 2009  |  0 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/tmnt.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>The quartet of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael emerge from the New York City sewers to rescue their ninja mentor Splinter. The live-action characters go on to deal with their evil nemesis, Shredder, in the second film and time travel in the third. The last film in the series, <i>TMNT</i>, is an animated affair with our heroes dispensing justice to an army of monsters.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Tenet
Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 02, 2021  |  0 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
This is how director Christopher Nolan does time travel. Actually, to hear him tell it, this is how he does a spy thriller, inspired by the Bonds of his youth and enhanced with all of the mind-bending trappings we've come to expect from one of filmdom's brainiest auteurs. The central conceit of Tenet—one that commands audiences to pay full attention lest they be left behind—is the recent discovery of a temporal anomaly, possibly man-made, that can send certain objects backwards in time, rather than in the usual direction.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Chris Chiarella  |  Mar 23, 2018  |  0 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
It’s time to remind everyone what a big deal Terminator 2: Judgment Day still is. The action/adventure genre underwent a serious evolution in the ’80s, and by 1991, to be taken seriously, T2 had to be bigger and better than anything that had come before.

And it was.

Continue Reading »
3D Blu-ray Movie ReviewsBlu-ray Movie Reviews
Terminator Genisys
Chris Chiarella  |  Feb 12, 2016  |  1 comments
Picture
3D-Ness
Sound
Extras
The still-thrilling Terminator franchise has certainly experienced its share of highs and lows over the last 30-odd years. And so creator James Cameron’s ringing endorsement for the latest installment, Terminator Genisys—in which he had no direct involvement—carried a lot of weight with fans. While giving major respect to the classic canon, this fifth movie is superbly smart, inventive, and even quite funny at times.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Terminator Salvation – Director's Cut
David Vaughn  |  Dec 02, 2009  |  1 comments
Early in the 21st Century, a military defense program called Skynet becomes self-aware. Viewing humanity as a threat to its existence, Skynet decides to strike first. The survivors of the nuclear fire call the event Judgment Day. They live only to face a new nightmare—the war against the machines.

The first two Terminator movies directed by James Cameron were excellent, but the franchise hasn't fared so well with the subsequent directors—especially the horrendous job by McG (yes, that's what he calls himself) with Terminator Salvation. Character development is neglected in lieu of nearly nonstop action, although the soundtrack is very impressive with superior dynamics, frequency response, and surround imaging. If you're looking for a new audio demo disc, this certainly fills the bill, but don't expect the story to captivate your imagination.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Terminator: Dark Fate
Chris Chiarella  |  Apr 10, 2020  |  3 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
Linda Hamilton is back as pistol-packin' mama Sarah Connor and badass as ever, her days dedicated to a familiar mission: ridding the world of killer robots. Dark Fate is James Cameron's first active role in the franchise he created—here as a producer and co-writer—since 1996's T2:3D theme park ride, which surely accounts for much of the movie's old-shoe feel.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Season 1
Mike Mettler  |  Oct 02, 2008  |  0 comments
Warner
Movie •••½ Picture •••• Sound •••• Extras •••½
Can a great TV drama have an endoskeleton
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Texas Rising
Anthony Chiarella  |  Dec 11, 2015  |  1 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
A lofty undertaking of the History Channel, Texas Rising chronicles the one-time republic’s struggle for independence from Mexico. Lavishly produced, this miniseries features an all-star cast anchored by Emmy-winner Bill Paxton. Fleeting cameos by marquis actors exemplify the meticulous detail and massive budget that attended this production. Unfortunately, this great American saga and the men who empowered it are poorly served here. The acting is stiff and fails to evoke empathy or interest, due largely to scripting choices and mundane dialogue.
Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
That Thing You Do!
David Vaughn  |  Feb 20, 2014  |  0 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
Interactivity
It’s the summer of 1964 and Guy Patterson is back from the Army and working in his parents’ appliance store in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania. When the shop closes down for the night, Guy puts on his favorite jazz album and plays the drums to his heart’s content. Some old friends have started a band, and when their regular drummer breaks his arm, they come looking to Guy to fill in for a college talent show—which they win thanks to Guy’s decision to pick up the tempo in their breakout song. They end up getting a gig at a local pizza parlor and eventually catch the eye of a roving talent scout. Before they know it, their song is on the radio, they’re signed by Play-Tone records, and they’re off to California.

Continue Reading »
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
David Vaughn  |  Sep 29, 2008  |  First Published: Sep 30, 2008  |  0 comments

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/40yearoldvirgin.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Forty-year-old Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) works at a big-box electronics retailer, lives in a nice apartment with an extensive action-figure collection, and rides his bike to work every day. No wonder he's a virgin. His friends take his virginity personally and vow to do whatever it takes to get him laid.

Continue Reading »

Pages

X