Sort By: Post Date | Title | Publish Date
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Star Trek
David Vaughn  |  Nov 23, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/newtreck.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Even the most diehard Trekker felt that Roddenberry's universe had lost its mojo, so when J.J. Abrams was picked to reimagine the franchise, I was stoked. With a new young cast, which Tom Norton refers to as <i>Star Trek 90210</i>, he took <i>Trek</i> where no one had gone before&#151;over $257 million at the box office. With a reported budget of $150 million, no corners were cut in the production&#151;the script is a blast, the special effects are top-notch, and the soundtrack is loaded with demo material. As expected, the Blu-ray rocks, and here are three great scenes to show off your home theater.

Continue Reading >
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Brüno (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 20, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/bruno.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Austria's favorite fashionista, Br&#252;no (Sacha Baron Cohen), loses his homeland talk show after causing a ruckus at Milan Fashion Week. He moves to Hollywood with his assistant Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten) in tow to pursue worldwide super-stardom. Every attempt at making it big goes terribly wrong, but the utter ridiculousness of it all is supposed to be funny&#151;<i>not</i>!

Continue Reading >
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Angels & Demons (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 20, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/angdem.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is back on a thrilling journey through Rome trying to find four Cardinals kidnapped by the Illuminati, an ancient secret brotherhood that will stop at nothing to destroy its eternal enemy, the Catholic Church.

Continue Reading >
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Monsters, Inc.
David Vaughn  |  Nov 16, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/monstersbd.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Not only does <i>Monsters, Inc.</i> feature fantastic animation, it's one of Pixar's best stories, too. While the film was being made, California was subject to rolling blackouts due to Enron's manipulation of the energy market, so it's only fitting that the wizards at the studio came up with this wonderful story about powering Monstropolis with the screams of children. I love this movie, and its treatment on Blu-ray is exceptional in both the audio and video departments, with meticulous attention to detail and first-class sound design.

Continue Reading >
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Rome: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 16, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/rome.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>The story begins 50 years before the dawn of Christianity, when Rome was the wealthiest city in the world and the epicenter of a sprawling empire. Founded on principles of shared power and personal competition, the Republic was created to prevent any one man from seizing absolute control. But as the ruling class became wealthier, that foundation began to crumble and old values went by the wayside. Along came modern politics with infighting, corruption, and the drawing of party lines.

Continue Reading >
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The Ugly Truth (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 16, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/uglytruth.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Abby Ricter (Katherine Heigl) is the romantically challenged producer of a Sacramento morning television show who squares off against a chauvinistic new correspondent, Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler), whose views on dating and relationships clash with her feminine sensibilities. Are guys just looking for one thing, or is her idea of Mr. Right out there somewhere?

Continue Reading >
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Gone with the Wind - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition (Blu-ray) Gone with the Wind - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition
David Vaughn  |  Nov 16, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/gwtw.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Set in the South against the backdrop of the Civil War, this is the story of headstrong and manipulative Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), who lusts after a married man while neglecting her true love and third husband Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).

Continue Reading >
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Star Trek (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 12, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/newtrek.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>When a massive Romulan ship, Narada, emerges from a spatial anomaly in the year 2233, the USS Kelvin is destroyed as George Kirk (Chris Hemsworth) manually flies the ship on a suicide mission so that his wife and newborn son, James, can escape. This event alters the space-time continuum, and as a result, James T. Kirk grows up without his father's influence, becoming quite the rabble-rouser. Fortunately, he meets Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood), who persuades the young man to join Starfleet. The rest, as they say, is history.

Continue Reading >
Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Galaxy Quest (Blu-ray)
David Vaughn  |  Nov 11, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/galaxyquest.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT>Sixteen years after the cancelation of the TV show <I>Galaxy Quest</I>, the ensemble cast ekes out a living signing autographs at fan conventions and making appearances at store openings. Lucky for them, the gig of a lifetime comes along when they're recruited by an alien race&#151;which has been watching the show as the TV signal races through space, believing it to depict real life on Earth&#151;to rescue them from a band of outer-space warriors.

Continue Reading >
Blu-ray Player Reviews
LG BD390 Blu-ray Player
David Vaughn  |  Nov 10, 2009
toppick.jpgPrice: $350 At A Glance: Blazing-fast loading of discs, even on Java-intensive titles • Netflix, YouTube, and CinemaNow streaming • Built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi

Established in South Korea in 1958 under the name of Goldstar, LG Electronics has been manufacturing home appliances and electronics for more than 50 years. In 1995, it acquired Zenith (the company that invented the remote control) and started to gain market share in North America with cell phone technology, digital set-top boxes, and televisions. When the format war was in full swing in 2007, LG became the Switzerland of electronics companies by releasing the BH100 dual-format Blu-ray/HD DVD player. It received tepid reviews due primarily to playback glitches on HD DVDs, but you have to admire the company for attempting to appeal to a wider range of consumers.

Thankfully, with the format war behind us, manufacturers can concentrate on making great Blu-ray players, and LG hasn’t stopped its innovation. It was the first to release a BD player with Netflix streaming (BD300) and has upped the ante with its latest player by adding YouTube, CinemaNow, and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

Continue Reading >

Pages

X