Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Video: 4/5
Audio: 3.5/5
Extras: 2/5
Freedom 5 continues right where the last one left off with Takeru and Biz in Florida and in the company of the girl they flew from the moon to find. I wasn't that impressed with the last episode of this series since it was a bit boring in comparison to the first few episodes, but this episode picks up the pace a bit. While still not as engaging as the first few episodes you get a better look at the new characters from Earth and a direction for the series to take now that we've move to Earth. I still that this is a narrative that would have played out better in a single release but I'm eager to see how it all plays out.

Video: 4/5
Audio: 2.5/5
Extras: 2/5
I'm always on the lookout for new animated fare, regardless of what country it is from. When I saw an import HD DVD was available for Asterix and the Vikings I went ahead and picked it up. The film was getting reasonably good word of mouth and the character looked vaguely familiar from my younger days. Unfortunately this one didn't play out real well. The animation style looked good and I was impressed with the mix of 3D and cell animation, but the story was geared too much to the younger crowd and my wife and I just couldn't get into it. The film does have its funny moments, but the story moves at a pretty slow pace and the forced inclusion of "hip" culture didn't work well for it overall.

Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 4/5
Just in time for the second installments launch in theaters, Disney brings their big budget The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to Blu-ray as a 2-disc special edition. I have to admit I wasn't the biggest fan of this film when I saw it originally in theaters. I usually go for this kind of film but this one just didn't strike a chord with me at all. On this second viewing my feelings are pretty much the same. I just have trouble connecting with the characters and I don't like the toned down nature of the film. Obviously Disney wanted something that would be family friendly but I think this hurts the scope and emotional impact. Warner has managed to balance these issues with their popular Harry Potter series, but Disney missed that mark in my opinion. Nevertheless audiences seemed to love this one given its box office haul so I'm sure there are plenty of fans eager to see it on Blu-ray. One word of note though, this is the theatrical cut of the film. An extended edition was released on DVD sometime ago and I was honestly surprised it was not included for this release.

Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 2.5/5
It is honestly a RARE treat when Hollywood delivers a solid, mature horror film. It could be one of the rarest things we see on film today. New Line has delivered just that with The Orphanage. This movie just seems to do everything right. Mood, tension, terror, production, acting, script; all of the elements are just dead on. They didn't rely on gore or gimmicks to create an underlying tension that keeps you locked on from start to finish and the eerie photography and stunning sound design will have you at an unease that I find a rare commodity in this genre today. Why can't all ghost stories be half as good as this?

Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
A disturbing thriller in the vein of Saw, Untraceable stars Diane Lane as the head of an FBI internet watch team that stumbles onto a killer who uses the internet to broadcast the torture of his victims. The twist is, the more people that watch the faster the person dies. The FBI tries desperately to shut him down but to no avail. Things go really bad when the killer starts targeting members of the team. The movie doesn't bring anything real new to the table but it is effective at what it is. The torture methods are on the disturbing side so I wouldn't suggest this one to the casual thriller fan. I think a few more twists or a bit more character depth from the killer would have improved the film some.

Video: 4.75/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 4/5
New Line's epic gamble from last Christmas finds its way to Blu-ray in stunning 2-disc form. The Golden Compass is the first of three stories in the His Dark Materials trilogy, a rather popular set of young adult stories. The film was met with mixed enthusiasm and a subtle amount of controversy because of "religious overtones". Frankly, I don't see what all the fuss was about. The story has a very wide arc and excellent character work. As far as fantasy films go, this one was solid from start to finish. The production values were superb and I really hope we see a continuation of the trilogy since this one leaves off on a high note that almost demands a sequel.

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/27dresses.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Always a bridesmaid and never the bride, Jane (Katherine Heigle) has filled this role 27 times and has a closetful of dresses to prove it. When her younger sister Tess (Malin Ackerman) comes to town and catches the eye of her boss George (Edward Burnes)&mdash;with whom Jane is secretly in love&mdash;she is inspired to put herself first for a change.