Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Almost Famous (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 30, 2011
William (Patrick Fugit) is a 15-year-old music fan who gets a dream assignment to travel with an up-and-coming band and write a cover story for Rolling Stone magazine. His mother (Frances McDormand) isn't thrilled with the gig, but the young man hits the road with the band and learns there's more to write about than just music.

Writer/director Cameron Crowe burst on the scene in 1982 by penning Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which went on to become a hit with the teen audience. He wasn't a one hit wonder by writing/directing Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, and then the film based on his own youth, Almost Famous. While I can't particularly relate to the era (I'm more of an 80s guy), there were certain aspects of the film that gave me a chuckle. For example, my daughter is almost 15 and I couldn't imagine her going on the road with a band, so I certainly empathized with his mother's reaction.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Color Purple (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 27, 2011
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 JonesE.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.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Secretariat—Walt Disney Pictures
Kris Deering  |  Jan 26, 2011
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3/5
Behind every legend lies an impossible dream. Witness the spectacular journey of an incredible horse, Secretariat, and the moving story of his unlikely owner, a housewife who risked everything to make him a champion.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Secretariat (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 24, 2011
Behind every legend lies and impossible dream. Witness the spectacular journey of an incredible horse named Secretariat and the moving story of his unlikely owner (Diane Lane), a housewife who risked everything to make him a champion.

Disney is never one to shy away from an inspirational sports story and while this doesn't live up to the magic of Miracle, it has a lot of heart and explains the struggles Penny Chenery had to endure to be a woman in a male dominate world. I'm sure there were some liberties taken with some of the facts to liven-up the story, but that's not uncommon in Hollywood. Regardless, the performances are very good, especially by Lane and John Malkovich, who plays the eccentric Canadian horse trainer.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Alice In Wonderland—Walt Disney Pictures
Kris Deering  |  Jan 24, 2011
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Join Alice as she chases the White Rabbit and journeys into a topsy-turvy world that gets "curiouser and curiouser" as her fantastical adventures unfold. Meet the Mad Hatter, March Hare, Tweedledee & Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts and more unforgettable characters, all set against a backdrop of awe-inspiring splendor.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Cyrus—Fox Searchlight Pictures
Kris Deering  |  Jan 24, 2011
Video: 3/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Still single seven years after the breakup of his marriage; John has all but given up on romance. But at the urging of his ex-wife and best friend Jamie, John grudgingly agrees to join her and her fiancé Tim at a party. To his and everyone else's surprise, he actually manages to meet someone: the gorgeous and spirited Molly. Their chemistry is immediate. The relationship takes off quickly but Molly is oddly reluctant to take the relationship beyond John's house. Perplexed, he follows her home and discovers the other man in Molly's life: her son, Cyrus. A 21-year-old new age musician, Cyrus is his mom's best friend and shares an unconventional relationship with her. Cyrus will go to any lengths to protect Molly and is definitely not ready to share her with anyone, especially John. Before long, the two are locked in a battle of wits for the woman they both love - and it appears only one man can be left standing when it's over.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Let Me In—Hammer/Anchor Bay
Kris Deering  |  Jan 20, 2011
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
In bleak New Mexico, a lonely, bullied boy, Owen, forms a unique bond with his mysterious new neighbor, Abby, who moves from town to town with the man who appears to be her father. Trapped in the mind and body of a child, however, Abby is forced to hide a horrific secret of bloodthirsty survival. But in a world of both tenderness and terror, how can you invite in the one friend who may unleash the ultimate nightmare?
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Life As We Know It—Warner Bros.
Kris Deering  |  Jan 20, 2011
Video: 3/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Holly is an up-and-coming caterer and Messer is a promising network sports director. After a disastrous first date, all they have in common is their dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter Sophie. But when they suddenly become all Sophie has in this world, Holly and Messer must set their differences aside. Juggling career ambitions and competing social calendars, they'll have to find common ground while living under the same roof.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Open Season 3—Sony Pictures Entertainment
Kris Deering  |  Jan 20, 2011
Video: 4/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 2.5/5
Boog, Elliot and all their forest friends return with an all-new adventure that is their fastest and furriest yet - this time in a big top circus! When Boog's buddies can't make their annual guys-only getaway, he decides to take a trip by himself. Stumbling across a visiting circus, Boog switches places with a look-alike circus grizzly and takes over his part in the act. But when the circus decides to go back to Russia, it's a race against time for Elliot, McSquizzy, Mr. Weenie and the gang to rescue Boog before it's too late.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Machete—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jan 17, 2011
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3/5
Set up, double-crossed and left for dead, Machete is an ass-kicking ex-Federale who lays waste to anything that gets in his path. As he takes on hitmen, vigilantes and a ruthless drug cartel, bullets fly, blades clash and the body count rises. Any way you slice it, vengeance has a new name - "Machete".
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Dances With Wolves—MGM (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jan 17, 2011
Video: 3.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 4/5
Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Directing and Best Picture, this modern classic tells the story of Lt. Dunbar, a Civil War hero who befriends a tribe of Sioux Indians while stationed at a desolate outpost on the American frontier. What follows is a series of unforgettable moments - from Dunbar's tender scenes with Stands With A Fist (Mary McDonnell), to the thrilling, action-packed buffalo hunt.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest—Music Box FIlms (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jan 17, 2011  |  First Published: Jan 16, 2011
Video: 2.5/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 1/5
In this last installment, Lisbeth Salander lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She's fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she'll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Social Network (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 10, 2011
The stunning tale of a new breed of cultural insurgent: a punk genius who sparked a revolution and changed the face of human interaction for a generation, and perhaps forever. Shot through with emotional brutality and unexpected humor, this superbly crafted film chronicles the formation of Facebook and the battles over ownership that followed upon the website's unfathomable success.

Until I sat down to watch this, my favorite film of 2010 was Inception—it's now second. Aaron Sorkin, best known for "The West Wing," adapted the script from Ben Mezrich's book "The Accidental Billionaires" and takes what could have been a dull topic and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Under David Fincher's direction, there's plenty of humor, drama, and heartbreak it's interesting to see how Zuckerberg's socially retarded behavior costs him his best friend but in the process he builds his dream.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Backdraft (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 08, 2011
Two siblings carry on a family tradition as Chicago firefighters and must overcome their rivalry in order to find an arsonist who's torching the city. A twist of fate lands Brian (William Baldwin) in the investigators department working under veteran Donald Rimgale (Robert DeNiro) and is taught what it means to be a firefighter.

I've seen this at least 5 times over the past 19 years and have always enjoyed the characters and the awesome pyrotechnic displays. The plot is loaded with clichés with the sibling rivalry, crooked politicians, and a story line that only has maybe one degree of separation between each of the characters, but hey, it's Hollywood!

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
My Dog Skip (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Jan 05, 2011
Young Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz) has trouble making friends in school and when his idol, Dink Jenkins (Luke Wilson), is shipped over to Europe to fight the Germans in World War II, his life couldn't get any worse. Sensing his need of a good friend, his mother (Diane Lane) gets him a puppy for his ninth birthday and his life undergoes a transformation. The talented pup helps turn bullies into friends and helps Willie earn the affection of the most beautiful girl in school (Caitlyn Wachs).

Good family films are hard to find, but this is one of the best non-animated one I've seen in years. Granted, I'm a sucker for dog movies, but this has a lot of heart and the relationship between Willie and Skip is genuine and fun. It gets a little corny on occasion, especially when Willie tangles with some moonshiners, but the message of friendship and trust between a boy and his dog overcomes any of its shortcomings.

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