Blu-ray Movie Reviews

<I>Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, D.J. Qualls, Richard Jenkins, Tch&#233;cky Karyo, Bruce Greenwood, Alfre Woodard. Directed by Jon Amiel. Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic). Dolby Digital 5.1, 2.0 (English, French). 134 minutes. 2003. Paramount Home Video 860233. PG-13. $29.99. </I>

Video: 5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 5/5
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" is a grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time.

Video: 4.75/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 4.5/5
In the film, a renowned scientist finds herself face to face with an alien called Klaatu, who has traveled across the universe to warn of an impending global crisis. She quickly discovers the deadly ramifications of Klaatu's claim that he is "a friend to the Earth." Now she must find a way to convince the entity who was sent to destroy us that mankind is worth saving - but it may be too late.

Video: 3/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: .5/5
Sony has been picking some interesting catalog titles lately. The Devil's Own is a solid action/drama, but a surprising pick this early in the format. I guess I'm use to tie-ins with upcoming summer movies around this time of year. This is an early film for Brad Pitt and pairs him with mega-star Harrison Ford. Pitt plays an IRA soldier who is sent to the US to procure some weapons for the cause. A New York judge that is helping the cause puts him up with an Irish cop (Ford) during his stay. Things go smooth until the deal starts to go sour with the arms dealer and Ford's family is put in harms way. The message of this film was stronger during the unfortunate conflict in Ireland but doesn’t have quite the pull today. It's still a solid thriller though.

Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2/5
The kidnappers are Danny and Vic, two ex-cons planning to make a mint on the ransom for a young woman. The younger, nervier of the two, Danny defers to the more experienced Vic, who acts with a steely conviction. Their hostage is Alice Creed, daughter of a rich businessman, chosen by Vic and Danny as their passport to a better life. Terrified and immobile at first, it soon becomes clear that Alice isn't about to let her captors use her as capital without a fight. As determined to escape as Vic and Danny are to succeed, Alice enters into a battle of wills which strains the already fractious relationship between the two men. As the deadline for the exchange draws nearer, all three are brought close to a breaking point, with Vic and Danny's foolproof plan descending into a desperate struggle for survival.

Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Long before the concept existed, the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer, was the original "It Girl." Like her direct ancestor Princess Diana, she was ravishing, glamorous and adored by an entire country. Determined to be a player in the wider affairs of the world, she proved that she could out-gamble, out-drink and outwit most of the aristocratic men who surrounded her. She helped usher in sweeping changes to England as a leader of the forward-thinking Whig Party. But even as her power and popularity grew, she was haunted by the fact that the only man in England she seemingly could not seduce was her very own husband, the Duke. And when she tried to find her own way to be true to her heart and loyal to her duty, the resulting controversies and convoluted liaisons pushed her to the brink of risking banishment by her husband, family and all of London society.

Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
The Roman epic adventure "The Eagle" is based on the classic novel "The Eagle of the Ninth". In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca, Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.