Blu-ray Movie Reviews

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Rambo Trilogy—Lionsgate (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 26, 2008  | 
Video: 3/5
Audio: 2.75/5
Extras: 2.5/5
I grew up with this trilogy and looking back I am almost surprised that my parents let me watch these films at such a young age. These films cemented Stallone's status as an action icon and "Rambo" is a name everyone knows. Just in time for the release of the new (and quite entertaining) fourth installment is the original trilogy on Blu-ray. I still consider the first film to be the strongest of the series and I love the message it sends on the treatment of Vietnam Vets after their return home. It is always disturbing to see how those troops were treated. The second and third film suited the Reagan years perfectly and continued to fuel our fear of the Russians during the Cold War. I like the second film a lot more than the third, but even the weakest one is good popcorn fun.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Rambo—Lionsgate (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 26, 2008  | 
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4.75/5
Extras: 4.25/5
Stallone is definitely doing his best to defy the odds. I never thought that Rocky Balboa would be a good film but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought he may be pushing his luck with Rambo but instead he delivered what I feel to be the best installment in the series since the first film. This is a no hold bar action film that not only turns up the body count and gore, but delivers the best production design and tone of the sequels. Rambo has turned hard in his later years and when a group of activists that he delivered into war torn Burma turn up missing, he joins a group of mercenaries to get them out. The story is simplistic in nature and doesn't try to get too political, but it does shed light on the unfortunate events of that volatile region. Stallone proves that he is still every bit of the action star he used to be and rumor has it another Rambo film is in the works.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Bee Movie—Dreamworks Animation (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 26, 2008  | 
Video: 4.75/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Dreamworks brings their first animated film to Blu-ray with Bee Movie. Honestly, this is one of the weaker Dreamworks animated films and aside from the colorful animation I didn't think there was a lot for kids here. The film takes on an environmental approach in some ways and the themes of the film don't seem to take the entertainment of kids in stride. Jerry Seinfeld plays Barry, a young worker bee not content to spend the rest of his life working in the hive. When he journeys out into the real world he befriends a florist and finds out that people have been selling honey. The film then focuses on the slavery of bees and then the catastrophic events that could unfold if bees stopped pollinating. While the film does have a few fun moments, it didn't really appeal to me as a story. The animation is jaw dropping at times with some very cool three dimensional moments, but it couldn't make up for the slow script and dull comedy.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Shall We Dance?
David Vaughn  |  May 23, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/052308shallwedance.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>John Clark (Richard Gere) is in the midst of a midlife crisis. He has a devoted wife and family but feels he needs more. Each night on his way home, he sees an attractive woman staring out the window of a dance studio. On impulse, he decides to drop in to sign up for dance lessons. What will his wife say when she finds out?

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
P.S. I Love You
David Vaughn  |  May 23, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/052308ps.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>As Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank) celebrates her 30th birthday, she receives a most unusual gift from her husband, Gerry (Gerard Butler). It's a cake and a recorded message preparing her for the letters she will be receiving over the next few months from him. The kicker is that Gerry recently died from an illness at the tender age of 35, and his passing has ripped Holly's heart apart. With the help of her mother (Kathy Bates) and her two best friends (Lisa Kudrow and Gina Gerson), Holly learns to live without her soul mate.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Golden Compass
David Vaughn  |  May 23, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/052308compass.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Imagine a parallel universe that is familiar yet strange, where human souls reside not in the body, but in accompanying animal spirits called daemons. A young girl, Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), gains possession of the coveted Golden Compass&mdash;the last example of a mystical, powerful device also known as an alethiometer that can unveil the truth, reveal what others wish to hide, and even see into the future. In order to save her best friend after he is abducted by the Gobblers, a sinister group secretly headed by Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman), she must travel to the frozen tundra of the North with help from the clans, Gyptians, and an armored bear.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
David Vaughn  |  May 23, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/052308narnia.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>In World War II-ravaged England, four siblings discover a magical wardrobe cabinet while playing hide-and-seek in the rural country home of an elderly professor. The wardrobe is a passageway to the world of Narnia, a charming land inhabited by talking animals, dwarfs, centaurs, and giants. But the evil White Witch, Jadis (Tilda Swinton), has cursed the world into a perpetual winter. Aided by the lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), the children battle to overcome the evil White Witch's powerful hold over Narnia.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets
David Vaughn  |  May 23, 2008  | 

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/052308nt2.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>With his great grandfather implicated in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) enlists the help of his acrimoniously divorced parents (Jon Voight and Helen Mirren) to search out clues to clear the family name. From Buckingham Palace to Mount Rushmore, Gates pursues the <I>Book of Secrets</I>, but he must find a way to speak to the one man who has access to it, the President of the United States.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Blades of Glory—Dreamworks Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 22, 2008  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
I had a strong feeling going into this film that I wouldn't be a fan. I am not big on Ferrell's brand of comedy (though I did love Stranger than Fiction) and Heder hasn't done anything particularly good since Napoleon Dynamite. The comedy is a bit too over the top for me, and they borrowed a lot from comedies of the past. There are some good laughs here and there, but not nearly enough of them to warrant a purchase. I would stick with a rental on this one.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Twister—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 22, 2008  | 
Video: 3.25/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Twister is one of those big budget popcorn films that audiences just flock to during the summer movie season. I was just as excited as everyone else to see it, since the special effects looked amazing in the trailers. Years later the film is still a fun ride, but with technology and special effects where they are now, this film doesn't have the technical flair it used to. For those who haven't seen it (if there are any), the film follows a group of storm chasers who have developed a measuring device for tornadoes. The bad part is, they have to get right in the path of the twister to use it. ILM did some phenomenal work on the special effects for the time and this is still a pretty intense ride.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World—20th Century Fox (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 22, 2008  | 
Video: 3.75/5
Audio: 5/5
Extras: 3/5
I've been in the Navy for 13 years now and I've been to sea on several occasions during that time. Fortunately for me that time was spent under the water as I am a proud submariner. Peter Weir's Naval epic may not show the life of a modern submariner, but I think it is a testament to enduring life at sea and the comradely that blooms from it. The tale pits an English boat captain against a faster and more capable French ship, but the day to day struggle of the ship's crew is really the focus of this masterful film. The production values are stunning and I'm actually shocked we haven't seen more films like this since after seeing how well they executed it this time around. Here's hoping for more!
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Face/Off—Paramount Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 22, 2008  | 
Video: 2.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 3.5/5
John Woo had definitely done some great action work over the years. But I will be the first to admit that not all of his films grab me. While I found this one entertaining, it was never one of my favorites by him. Probably because I went through a basic hate relationship with Travolta films for awhile. After Pulp Fiction it seemed like every other movie out there had him in it, and he always acted exactly the same. Since I've had a bit of a break from all that now, I will say the film sat a bit better with me this time around, but I still think it is one of Woo's weaker titles.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
V For Vendetta—Warner Bros. (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 22, 2008  | 
Video: 3.75/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 4/5
V for Vendetta was different than I expected. Its tones on fear and controlling population through it touch the nerve of a lot going on in our own country, though probably not quite to the extent of what is portrayed here. It is a theme that has been in more and more media lately including an excellent book I just read from Michael Crichton.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Next—Paramount Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 22, 2008  | 
Video: 4/5
Audio: 4.25/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Based on a story by sci-fi novelist Philip K. Dick, this is an interesting premise on future sight and what could be achieved with it. The story is interesting enough and I never got bored, but the production had its limitations. The special effects could have been a bit better, and at times they were almost embarrassingly bad. My wife even commented on how fake things looked. Aside from that though, this is a fun popcorn film.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
A Passage To India—Columbia Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  May 19, 2008  | 
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 3/5
Extras: 3.5/5
You don't really see films like this anymore. David Lean's epic take on social/political prejudice in India is not what I would call popular film, but you can't deny the outstanding production value. The problem I had with the film is its runtime. This is a movie that could easily have been a bit short of two hours but runs for nearly three. The film takes its time developing the characters, but it isn't until nearly half way through that the real meat of the story begins. While I am always a fan of character development and strong storytelling I couldn't help but get bored with the pacing of this film. I love the photography and the scale of production, but without a strong and interesting storyline coupled with it, you find yourself looking at the remaining time left too often. The film revolves around a young English woman who ventures to India with the mother of a local magistrate who she is gearing up to marry. Shortly after arriving she finds herself questioning her relationship with him and longs to see more of native India. She meets up with a local doctor who takes them on a trip to a local landmark. Things don't go well and a social battle begins when the doctor is accused of sexually assaulting her, setting the stage for a local revolt. Again the tale is interesting enough; I just think it could have been edited down substantially.
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