Kris Deering

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Two Lovers—Magnolia (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 22, 2009
Video: 4.25/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
While recovering under the watchful eye of his parents, Leonard meets two women in quick succession: Michelle, a mysterious and beautiful neighbor who is exotic and out-of-place in Leonard's staid world, and Sandra, the lovely and caring daughter of a businessman who is buying out his family's dry-cleaning business. Leonard becomes deeply infatuated by Michelle, who seems poised to fall for him, but is having a self-destructive affair with a married man. At the same time, mounting pressure from his family pushes him towards committing to Sandra. Leonard is forced to make an impossible decision - between the impetuousness of desire and the comfort of love - or risk falling back into the darkness that nearly killed him.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
True Romance (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 10, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/truerom.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT><i>Runaway lovers Clarence (Christian Slater) and Alabama (Patricia Arquette) play a dangerous game when they come to possess a suitcase of mob contraband. They head for Los Angeles, where they'll sell the goods and begin a new life. But both sides of the law have other ideas.</i>

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
My Bloody Valentine 3-D—Lionsgate (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 07, 2009  |  Published: Jun 08, 2009
Video: 4.5/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 4/5
Ten years ago in the town of Harmony, an inexperienced coal miner caused an accident that trapped and killed five men and sent the only survivor, Harry Warden, into a coma. When Harry awoke, exactly one year later on Valentine's Day, he wanted revenge and brutally murdered 22 people with a pickax before being killed himself. Now, after years of peace, something from Harmony's dark past has returned. Wearing a miner's mask and armed with a pickax, an unstoppable killer is on the loose. As his footsteps come ever closer, the townspeople realize in terror that it just might be Harry Warden who has found his way back.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
The International—Columbia Pictures (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 07, 2009  |  Published: Jun 08, 2009
Video: 5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
Extras: 3.5/5
Interpol agent Louis Salinger is determined to expose an arms dealing ring responsible for facilitating acts of terrorism around the globe. But as his investigation leads Salinger and his partner, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman, deeper into the secret world of greed, corruption and murder, they become targets of a deadly conspiracy so vast, they soon find the only people left to trust are each other.
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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Eden Log—Magnet (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 07, 2009  |  Published: Jun 08, 2009
Video: 3.25/5
Audio: 4/5
Extras: 2/5
A man wakes up deep inside a cave. Suffering amnesia, he has no recollection of how he came to be here or of what happened to the man whose body he finds beside him. Tailed by a mysterious creature, he must continue through this strange and fantastic world.
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Integra DHC-9.9 Surround Preamp/Processor
Kris Deering  |  Jun 05, 2009

In the world of surround preamp/processors, Integra is a serious player. In my review of last year's <A href="http://hometheatermag.com/preampprocessors/508integra/">DTC-9.8</A> for <I>Home Theater</I>, I was amazed at how much it offered for only $1600.

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 03, 2009  |  Published: Jun 04, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/robinhoodpot.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT><i>Kevin Costner triumphs as the legendary Sherwood Forest outlaw leader in this epic adventure bringing a 12th-century medieval world to spectacular screen life. Enhancing the fun are 12 added minutes of footage not seen in theatres, especially more juicy malevolence of Robin Hood's archenemy, the Sheriff of Nottingham. Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio also star in this lavish production lensed in Britain and France, where historic structures, majestic forests, and vividly realistic recreations of Olde England combined to create a world at once ancient and ageless.</i>

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Enemy at the Gates (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 03, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/enemyatgates.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT><i>The year is 1942, and the Nazis are cutting a deadly swath through Russia. Under the leadership of Khrushchev, the citizens of Stalingrad are mounting a brave resistance, spurred by the exploits of their local hero, Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law). An expert sniper, Zaitsev's deeds have become legendary thanks to propaganda produced by his best friend, a political officer named Danilov (Joseph Fiennes). To stop Zaitsev, the Germans dispatch their best sniper, Major Konig (Ed Harris), to Stalingrad. When Zaitsev and Danilov both fall in love with a beautiful soldier, Danilov deserts his friend, leaving him to face his German counterpart alone. As the city burns, Zaitsev and Konig begin a cunning game of cat and mouse, waging a private war for courage, honor, and country.</i>

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Gran Torino (Blu-ray)
Kris Deering  |  Jun 03, 2009

<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/grantor.jpg" WIDTH=200 BORDER=0 ALIGN=RIGHT><i>Korean War vet and retired auto worker Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) doesn't much like how his life or his neighborhood has turned out. He especially doesn't like the people next door&#151;Hmong immigrants from Southeast Asia. But events force him to defend those neighbors against a local gang that feeds on violence and fear. </i>

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Blu-ray Player Reviews
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Player
Kris Deering  |  Jun 01, 2009
Price: $300 At A Glance: Viera Cast delivers ho-hum connectivity experience • Exceptional video processing • Full interactivity and audio decoding

It seems like just yesterday that I reviewed the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55 players (HT, December 2008). But Panasonic spared little time getting its replacements out into the market. This was almost a blink, and you’ll miss the window for the DMP-BD35 and DMP-BD55. Panasonic just introduced the DMP-BD60 and DMP-BD80, which are nearly identical to the models they’re replacing. But this time around, Panasonic has jumped into the streaming video craze and added Viera Cast to both players. This widget-based portal to Internet-derived content is similar to what Panasonic includes in its flat-panel HDTV line.

For this roundup, I’m looking at the DMP-BD60 ($300). It lacks the DMP-BD80’s 7.1-channel analog outputs, but it still shares many core components and features with its big brother.

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