Blu-ray Movie Reviews

What a swift kick in the ass! Co-written and produced by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly on TV, The Avengers), The Cabin in the Woods is the most self-aware and gleefully gory comedy-horror flick since the Scream series devolved into a parody of a parody. As I write this, there are probably forums of fanboys aflame, identifying and exchanging the horror movie references throughout. Its plot practically defies description, but the elevator pitch would be Evil Dead meets The Truman Show.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/princecaspian.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>The Pevensie children&#151;Peter (William Moseley), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell), and Lucy (Georgie Henley)&#151;face a perilous mission and a greater-than-ever test of their faith and courage. Thirteen hundred years of Narnia time have passed since their last visit, but only one year in their normal reality. Although the White Witch (Tilda Swinton) is gone, making only a brief appearance in the movie, the realm is ruled by a cruel tyrant, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), and Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) has been missing for over a thousand years. With the help of Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), the four children embark on a journey to find Aslan and restore magic and glory to the land.

Precocious siblings Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Heynes), along with their cousin Eustance (Will Poulter), are sucked into a painting and transported back to Narnia. They join King Caspian (Ben Barnes) and the noble mouse Reepicheep in a quest to rescue lords who had been lost fighting evil on a remote island. Aboard the magnificent ship The Dawn Treader the courageous voyagers travel to mysterious islands, confront mystical creatures, and reunite with the Great Lion Aslan on a mission that tests their characters to determine the fate of Narnia itself.

I haven't been a big fan of this theatrical franchise (nor the books, for that matter), but I do appreciate the family friendly message and just adore Georgie Henley's character. Fortunately, the director keeps the runtime under two hours and the brisk pacing helps keep the film more entertaining than the bloated second installment Prince Caspian. Disney decided the dump the franchise after the poor box office showing of the second film and Fox stepped in to the mix, but with a much lower budget (about $80 million less), and it shows in the finished product. The CGI isn't nearly as good and the cinematography takes a step back compared to its two predecessors.

Celie (Whoopi Goldberg) is a southern black woman virtually sold into a life of servitude to a brutal husband, sharecropper Albert (Danny Glover). Celie pours out her innermost thoughts in letters to her sister Nettie (Akousa Busia), but Albert has been hiding the return correspondence making Celie believe she's dead. Finally, Celie finds champions in her daughter-in-law, the take-no-shit Sofia (Oprah Winfrey) and the glamorous Shug Avery (Margaret Avery), a local entertainer.

Up until Steven Spielberg produced and directed this film, he was more known for "popular" cinematic titles such as Jaws, Indiana Jones< and E.T and he hadn't had to deal with meaty subjects such as rape, incest, and woman's rights. Ultimately the film received 11 Academy Award nominations (winning none) and Spielberg proved he was up for the challenge and went on to become one of the best director's of his generation.

Sony Movie •••• Picture •••½ Sound •••½ Extras •••½

The winner of last year's Os

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/darkknight.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Batman (Christian Bale) continues his war on crime in Gotham City with the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Determined to destroy organized crime, the three make great strides toward restoring order until a criminal mastermind know as The Joker (Heath Ledger) thrusts the city into anarchy, forcing Batman closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.