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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Spiderwick Chronicles
David Vaughn  |  Jun 23, 2008

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/spiderwick.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Seeking to escape her failed marriage, Helen Grace (Mary-Louise Parker) moves her three children away from New York City to a country home left to her by an insane aunt. The children soon discover that the old house harbors many mysteries, and Jared (Freddie Highmore) finds his great-great uncle Spiderwick's Field Guide, which reveals the unbelievable truth about the Spiderwick Estate&mdash;a secret world of fantastical creatures hidden from normal view.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Square (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Aug 24, 2010
Escaping the monotony of a loveless marriage, Raymond Yale (David Roberts) becomes entangled in an affair with Carla (Claire van der Bloom). His moral limits are tested when she presents him with the proceeds of her husband's latest crime and the two hatch a plan to start a new life. What could go wrong?

The first act sets the story on the right path but Raymond's actions become more absurd and unbelievable as the film progresses. Furthermore, what does Carla see in the middle-aged man in the first place? Granted, her boyfriend is no looker but a girl with her assets could land a respectable guy closer to her own age.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Switch (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Mar 16, 2011
With her biological clock running out, Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) decides to take matters into her own hands and have a baby via artificial insemination. Her neurotic best friend, Wally (Jason Bateman), tries to talk her out of it but she ignores him and enlists the help of a sperm donor (Patrick Wilson) to complete the process. On the night of the "event," Wally has one too many drinks and may have tampered with the donation and when he meets Kassie's son seven years later his suspicions start to grow when the two have way too many similarities.

Jennifer Aniston's venture into feature films hasn't been a resounding success thus far, but this may be her best project. The chemistry she and Bateman share is outstanding and there are some serious laugh-out-loud moments starting with the crazy homeless man in the first scene of the movie. When the kid (Thomas Robinson) enters the picture it can get a tad sappy, but that's OK because he's adorable and the relationship he develops with Bateman's character is very touching.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Tale of Despereaux (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Apr 09, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/despereaux.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>This animated tale is based on Kate DiCamilla's award-winning 2004 book about an unordinary mouse born with big ears and even bigger dreams. Banished from home because of his desire to be a knight, Despereaux (voiced by Matthew Broderick) sets off with Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman) on a quest to rescue a princess (Emma Watson).

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Ten Commandments (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Mar 30, 2011
In this beloved Biblical epic, Moses (Charlton Heston), once favored in the household of the Pharaoh (Yul Brynner), turns his back on a privileged life to lead his people to freedom with the help of God and his Ten Commandments.

Few motion pictures in the history of Hollywood reach the heights of this masterpiece. Cecil B. DeMille's last picture made Charlton Heston a superstar and holds up extremely well 55 years later. Filmed in Egypt and the Sinai with one of the biggest sets ever constructed, the special effects seem rudimentary today, but they look fabulous when put into the proper historical context.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Terminator (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  May 18, 2011
A ruthless killing machine (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent back in time by Skynet in order to kill Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton), the woman who will soon give birth to the leader of the resistance movement in the future. But her future son isn't going to let his mother be exterminated and sends Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) back in time in order to save her from certain destruction and give the human race a chance to survive.

This is about the umpteenth time this classic sci-fi/horror/action film has been released on home video, but I'm sure the fans will pick it up agian in order to have the digibook packaging. Regardless, this is one of the best movies of the late 20th Century and launched the careers of both Schwarzenegger and writer/director James Cameron.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Three Musketeers 3D
David Vaughn  |  Mar 23, 2012

Director Paul W.S. Anderson isn't what you would call an A-list talent and he stoops to an all-time low with The Three Musketeers. The classic novel from Alexandre Dumas is butchered beyond believe with horrendous dialog, wooden acting, and some of the most mind-numbing suspension of belief ever witnessed in cinema (a 17th century airship battle—really?). While the 3D is a serviceable effort, the 2D encode is so good you'll want to put the glasses away and relish some of the most amazing detail you've ever seen from a Blu-ray. Not to be outshined is the outstanding DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack that features pinpoint discrete effects and jaw-dropping imaging. If you're looking for some eye and ear candy to demo your system then this would be a great addition to your library.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Tourist (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Mar 09, 2011
A mysterious woman (Angelina Jolie) and a vacationing math teacher (Johnny Depp) from America become involved in an international manhunt after meeting on a train traveling from Paris to Venice. A case of mistaken identity puts poor Frank (Depp) in the crosshairs of a British gangster looking to reclaim his lost fortune from a former associate.

Depp is one of the hottest stars in Hollywood and I had high hopes for this international spy thriller. Sadly, the star power of Depp and Jolie couldn’t overcome the meandering and predictable script from the trio of writers which includes the director (Florian Heckel von Donnersmarck - The Lives of Others). Character development is nonexistent and there’s no real drama or suspense throughout the film and anyone with half a brain can see the ending coming from a mile away.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Town (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Dec 20, 2010
Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is the leader of a Boston bank robber gang but is not cut from the same cloth as his fellow thieves. When Doug falls in love with the bank manager (Rebecca Hall) briefly taken hostage in one of their heists, he wants to leave his criminal past behind and start a new life. As the Feds close in, his best friend (Jeremy Renner) questions his loyalty he's left with two choices—betray his friends or lose the woman he loves.

I've never been particularly impressed with Affleck as an actor, but he certainly has talent as a director. He gets the most out of the cast—including himself—orchestrates some realistic bank heists, and delivers one of the most intense films I've seen in a long time.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Town: Ultimate Collector's Edition
David Vaughn  |  Mar 07, 2012

When The Town came out on Blu-ray in December 2010, I was blown away by the presentation. It was one of my favorite films of the year due to the non-stop action, believable characters, and some of the most realistic bank heists ever to hit the silver screen. In this Ultimate Collector's Edition, the reference-quality audio and video from the original release are still present with fabulous detail, surround envelopment, and dynamics, plus the alternate ending gives better closure to the story.
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